


To Fix A Bad Timeline

by rosieblue



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Biracial Omi, Gen, also ship hinting, not an alternate universe but is also sorta an alternate universe, not in any way Jack-centered but he's the observer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-12-18 21:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 64,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11883633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosieblue/pseuds/rosieblue
Summary: Jack Spicer has to bring the universe together after he unravels it, all because he didn't listen to the panicking dragon.





	1. No One Listens to Dojo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In hindsight, Jack Spicer should have known he was going to have a horrible, horrible day when he slept through his alarms ~~\--~~ and 7 missed phone calls _and_ detector-bot ~~\--~~ and missed a Shen Gong Wu. 

 

He didn't know what it was, what did, or how it looked like, but he didn't like the endless possibilities of him being sucker-punched at the next showdown he had with the world's favorite losers. 

Sighing and groaning and mentally preparing to go into a woe-is-me mode, Jack got dressed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. 

 

He was barely through with his omelet when his phone got a message that the detector-bot was going off again. 

Rejuvenated, Jack leapt for joy and headed to the basement that also doubled as his evil lair, not before ordering the chef to make him a souffle for dessert. 

"I'm feeling lucky today", he explained. 

 

* * *

 

This particular Wu wasn't hidden far. On the contrary, it happened to be hidden in a mountain near the village the temple was on the outskirts of. 

 

  
Jack snorted at that. It appeared their great Dashi had gotten either arrogant or lazy with this one. Or maybe both.

He activated the helibot and flew to the the hidden cave the detector-bot directed him to, followed by an army of invisible Jackbots. 

 

Jack would have been very pleased with himself if he hadn't heard voices coming from inside the cave. The losers were in there already. 

 

He sighed, as he threw on his recently acquired Shroud of Shadows. Didn't the monks ever sleep through their alarms? 

 

He caught bits of their conversation, which seemed to involve a very exasperated Dojo and some laughing monks. 

" ~~\--~~ understand me. I'm not repeating it another time."

Jack raised an eyebrow; he could almost picture the dragon pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Okay, just so I can get it one last time", that was Raimundo. "I can't wish for _anything_?" 

"For the love of Dashi, no. You can't", Dojo said. 

There was a pause. "Well, you can, but it's _very_ frowned upon. This place was cursed for a reason." 

"C'mon Dojo", that was Clay now. "Don't take Rai seriously, you know he likes messin' with you." 

"You don't understand. We can't afford to mess around with this ~~\--~~ you wish for anything in this cave and you'll get it with a ugly twist." 

"I don't know", now Kimiko was joining in. "What if I wish for a soda? What's the worst that can happen with that?" 

"Oh gee, I don't know", Dojo said so sarcastically Jack was impressed. "Poison, maybe?" 

The group walked on silently after that, though not before Jack could hear Kimiko say something along the lines of _"I was just joking!"_. 

 

It didn't take them long to reach the end of the cave and when they did Jack barely kept his mouth from dropping. 

There was mountains of gold and silver everywhere, along with old statues, closed chests and other valuable artifacts as far as the eye could see. 

 

The Wu, of course, was very easy to spot, what with it floating in the center of the room, but the monks didn't immediately run for it. 

Instead, they stood, just like Jack had, taking in the room, looking completely in awe. 

 

For once, Jack agreed with Omi, who try as he might could not get himself to focus on the Wu alone. 

"Dojo, are you sure we cannot take anything else with us when we leave?" 

Dojo, who wasn't at all affected like the monks were, shook his head firmly. "Of course you can't! Now, snap out of it and go get that Wu!" 

 

Meanwhile, Jack had taken the time to walk over to the Wu, in complete silence. His hands almost closed around it, but he couldn't, for the life of him, risk that opening. 

He theatrically pulled the Shroud of Shadows off, announcing himself. "Too late, Xiaolin losers!"

The monks had mixed reactions to his appearance: Kimiko was irritated and was already starting to burst into flames, Clay looked weary at the prospect of having to fight at this unholy hour, and Raimundo seemed to have the face of someone who accepted their lot in life even if it wasn't what they'd asked for.

Only Omi seemed in anyway excited and that was probably out of habit.

  
It stung, to say the least, but Jack wasn't deterred. 

 

"Jackbots attack!" 

 

The invisible Jackbots swarmed the cave, not that the monks could see them. 

"Someone forgot to oil their minions today", Raimundo said, a shit-eating grin on his face. 

"I wouldn't be saying that if I was you", Jack said and ducked immediately as Omi's foot almost connected with his face. 

Even with the invisible Jackbots attacking his friends, Omi was still intent on kicking Jack's behind as much as possible. And he was already on it. 

Jack wasn't very bothered with their whole dance routine. He was very much used to their fights being his own form of cardio ~~\--~~ they would kick, punch, and throw him around when they could catch him and he would duck, run, and hide. 

 

Fifteen minutes in, Kimiko had come up with the ingenious idea of blowing some powder ~~\--~~ judging from its cover, it was make-up and it was expensive ~~\--~~ in the air. 

Her teammates were jumping for joy at that point, easily taking down the now-light brown robots. 

Meanwhile, Jack was still running from Omi, feeling pretty proud of himself. Omi had been running after him all this time and wasn't able to land a single kick. 

 

Jack stopped abruptly. _Omi_ wasn't able to land a single kick on Jack's butt? 

 

The self-proclaimed genius realized what was happening all along a little too late. They were _playing_ with him, driving him away as far they could so they can just walk and grab the Wu. 

Jack sneered at nothing in particular and started running the opposite way, Omi still on his tail. 

"What's the matter, Omi", Jack taunted. "Tired?" 

"Of course I'm not tired", Omi said. "I'm simply trying to tire _you_ out." 

The fact that Omi thought he could easily get rid of him, his nemesis of almost four years now, easily offended him.

 

That was just the push he needed. 

 

With surprising speed, Jack ran to the Wu, already holding his hands open to grab it, a sight wasn't missed by the other three. 

Jack saw, as he ran, a look, a very simple passing look that passed between the three that ended as soon as Raimundo nodded. 

 

That's right, Jack remembered, _he_  was their leader. 

 

He almost always forgot that after they all got promoted and started wearing the same black robe, even if Raimundo's was more special with that embroidered dragon.

Apparently the leader thought the best person for this job was Kimiko, who also happened to be the angriest at this given moment. Jack gulped as he and Kimiko touched the Wu at the same time. 

"You know", she began, keeping her tone leveled. "Our day was going great when you didn't show up for the first Wu. We managed to get brunch not five minutes after!" 

"You know", Jack said, terribly mimicking Kimiko's voice. "I do not give a damn." 

That got to her, but really with the anger she managed to conjure up in every fight, anything could have. 

"Sometimes I just wish ~~\--~~ " 

Dojo immediately reprimanded her, scandalized. "Young lady! What did I say about the 'w' word?" 

Kimiko closed her mouth instantly, opting for silent fuming.  Jack, on the other hand, could already imagine how scalding that sentence would have been and couldn't keep quiet. 

Jack gave Dojo an innocent look. "Oh, you don't want anyone to use the 'w' word? Well, tough luck!" 

He paused for a few seconds to build up the drama. "I wish, I wish, I wish ~~\--~~ " 

Omi cut him off. "I don't think that's the part Dojo was worried about." 

Jack glared at him. "I knew that. You know what? I wish this w ~~\--~~ ", he paused; there was a real opportunity here, judging by the thickening air.  

He gave the monks one last look. "I wish I _never_ met any of you and I wish you wouldn't be this thorn on the side of evil's ass!" 

In all honesty, Jack had been expecting something magical at work. Maybe the monks would glow and suddenly became amnesiac or maybe they'd become powerless or something. 

Instead, the cave started collapsing. 

Someone, he couldn't tell who, was yelling at him. "What the hell did you do, Jack Spicer?!" 

The yell repeated itself ~~\--~~ either in reality or Jack's mind ~~\--~~ but he couldn't bring himself to answer or say anything really. Something started shimmering in the cave, growing until it engulfed everything. 

 

And then the world, much like movie credits, faded to black. 


	2. A Conversation with a Very Pissed Off Ghost

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Jack woke up in his bed, feeling relaxed and well rested. 

Stretching, he got up and started on his daily routine: washed up, got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. 

He was half-way through with his crepe when he checked his phone for any updates from the detector-bot. He frowned, there we no updates, which could be understandable, but there wasn't any indication that the detector-bot was set up in the first place. 

Jack left his crepe unfinished and headed to his lair, apprehension growing in his gut. 

 

 

Jack turned the lights on at his lair and was surprised to see a couple of things. 

The first surprise was that the lair wasn't half as evil as it was when he left it last night. Sure, all the Jackbots were there, but they were coated by dust and seemed mostly unused.

 Jack knew there was a good chance he was imagining this part, but they also didn't seem to have the battle-hardened experience he imagined they had by now. 

The second surprise was ~~\--~~

" _Ashley_?"

 

Jack was very surprised to see her there, just sitting casually in one of the swiveling chairs, stroking a tiny genetically altered kitten. He was about to say something, but she cut him off. 

 

"For the last time", she said, frowning. "When you see me in this getup, call me Katnappe." 

"Okay, _Katnappe_ ", Jack said, being as condescending as possible. "Why are you sitting in my lair in complete darkness?" 

Ashley shrugged. "I was trying to be unnecessarily dramatic. It's a villain requirement or something." 

Jack gasped at her complete insensitivity to the profession, though he was not surprised, Ashley has always been a B-list villain at best. 

He repeated his question. "Why are you here?" 

Ashley stood up now, the kitten she was stroking jumping gracefully to the floor. 

"I'm checking on you, obviously", she said, rolling her eyes. "You hit your head when you fell off that tree yesterday."

Jack touched his head, feeling for bump that suddenly hurt even though he didn't really remember it. He remembered being exhausted from yesterday but there weren't any trees or cat-cosplaying thieves involved.  

 

Clearly, though, that wasn't Ashley's only purpose, so he gave her a look. "I'm okay. And?" 

"Well", she said, unnecessarily stretching the word. "I'm also here to say that it's over." 

Jack titled his head, unsure of what he heard. It sounded like a break-up line and he was positive that he's never dated Ashley or had any intention to. 

"What is?" 

Ashley gestured faintly around her. "Whatever this was, it's over. I don't know what you call it ~~\--~~ an evil partnership or whatever." 

Jack relaxed now. So  _that's_  it. 

"Oh, okay", he said, not at all sad to see her go. The cat puns had began to get to him, anyway. 

"That was easy", Ashley said, more to herself than anything. "I will remember you when I rule the world. Or not, I really don't care." 

 

That got Jack's attention. "What are you talking about?" 

 

Ashley rolled her eyes. " _Hello_ , I've been on my way to world domination for like a couple of years now?" 

That didn't seem right at all, but before Jack could ask Ashley had already left. 

Jack sat down on the swiveling chair, still trying to process what Ashley said. She seemed serious enough and even though he wished he could just brush it off as a lie, somehow he knew it wasn't. 

Suddenly he remembered something. They were fourteen, maybe thirteen, and Ashley had released Wuya after finding the ancient puzzle-box. Soon after, the Wu started appearing but there had been no one to stop them, though they didn't find exactly all of Wu either. 

Jack scratched his head, feeling an incredible headache coming on. Why wasn't there anyone to stop them? Where were the monks? 

The self-proclaimed evil genius remembered why he was feeling particularly exhausted, now positive that he hadn't fallen off a tree. 

He remembered the running, the screaming, the brown-powdered invisible Jackbots, and ~~\--~~

"The wish", Jack said, a sinking feeling in his stomach. "What did I _do_?" 

"I'd say it's about time you asked yourself that question."

 

Jack swiveled around, already dreading the outcome.

 

He gasped at the sight of the flickering ghost, instantly recognizing who it was. He heard the monks and their dragon, mostly the dragon though, use the phrase a couple of times.

He supposed it was time he used it too. 

  
"The, the great ghost of Dashi?" 

The ghost smiled, momentarily breaking the disappointed expression. "I would say _'in the flesh'_ but it would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?" 

Jack wasn't sure of what to say, so he nodded. 

Dashi crossed his arms, quirking an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" 

"I have an inkling", Jack said, remembering his ill-fated wish. "It's about the monks."

Dashi nodded. "Yes, and I happen to be very mad about that." 

"Yeah, about that", Jack said, sheepishly. "I'm still not sure what happened to them?" 

"You better know what happened", Dashi said, scoffing. "Because the world is about to descend to chaos." 

"That's not fair", Jack whined. "They _always_ make the world descend to chaos and the one time I do that _you_ show up to yell at me?" 

Dashi rolled his eyes. "Who told you I haven't yelled at them?" 

"You did?"

"Well, no", Dashi began. "But I was going to do that soon." 

The ghost paused, but started to elaborate. 

"They were about to start a new phase of spiritual training and I was planning to get involved", Dashi said, seeming almost wistful.

He looked at Jack, trying to see if he was following him. Jack wasn't interested, but the little manners his mother managed to instill in him resurfaced. 

"Oh yeah", Jack said. "Why...if I may ask?" 

Dashi nodded, feeling pleased with his attentive audience. "I was looking forward to hearing the homespun cowboy's colorful similes and there were a couple of trends I was going to suggest that short-tempered trendsetter try."

He turned around, facing Jack. "I was also going to do a lot of other things, like teach them and maybe attempt a couple of spiritual pranks but you took that opportunity from me." 

Jack didn't need to ask the ghost what was it exactly that he suggested he do. He could already read it all over his face. 

"Look", Jack said. "With all due respect, I'm evil. Like, I'm on the Heylin side. Whatever it is that happened to them, it doesn't exactly affect me negatively." 

"It does actually", Dashi said. "And it will even more." 

Jack sighed. "Can you be a little straightforward?" 

"Without the dragons", Dash said, seriousness seeping into his voice for the first time. "You will never have a chance at ruling the world."

 

Jack waited for the ghost to elaborate, but apparently that was it. He snorted, all thoughts of respect flying out of his head. 

 

"I'm flattered, but honestly I'd say I already shot that horse in the mouth." 

Dashi frowned. "You aren't at all interested in your future as a possible Heylin overlord?" 

"Well, duh", Jack said. "I'm evil and my father is evil and so is my grandmother ~~\--~~ look you get the picture, but recently I've began to accept that I'm not becoming any closer to ruling the world like this." 

Dashi seemed confused. "Alright, I'll bite. Why were you still involved then?" 

"Annoying those losers became a habit", Jack said, shrugging. "But don't worry about my evil career, I'm planning on being a corrupt businessman like my uncle Greg." 

"Such a shame", Dashi said. "You could _not_ possibly be Muffy Spicer's grandson." 

This startled Jack. "You know my grandmother?" 

Dashi's expression was incredulous, though Jack missed the sly smile. "Who doesn't? She almost destroyed the temple several times!" 

Jack was starstruck. "She did? She never told me that!" 

"She's very old now, her memory's not the same", Dashi said, waving it off. "You know, there's a former Fire Dragon in Cambodia who would tell you all about it if you track them down." 

"Awesome", Jack said, making the memo on his phone. "But I still don't know if that'll make me want to help you, though." 

Dashi shook his head. "You still don't get it ~~\--~~ you're fixing your mistake to help yourself."  

  
Jack didn't need a mirror to see how skeptical he looked. Dashi continued.   
  
"Right now, the only worthy villains on the Heylin side are Wuya and your cat-dressing friend ~~\--~~ "

   
  
"She's not my friend", Jack cut him off, insulted. 

  
  
Dashi sighed. "Anyway, they're the only important villains on that side. Meaning, if they get their hands on two very special Wu, they'll rule the world. And you do _not_ want a world ruled by Wuya."   
  
Jack couldn't agree more, but he shrugged it off. "What about Chase Young or Hannibal? They're not exactly going to take that well."   
  
Dashi smiled, finally feeling the conversation going somewhere. "Hannibal has found no one to free him from the Ying Yang World."   
  
"So", Jack said, nonchalantly. "Chase is still around."   
  
"He is", Dashi agreed. "But he also isn't."   
  
Noticing the confused face, Dashi explained. "By some unfortunate _mishap_ , Chase Young has managed to get himself into a deep, _deep_ hibernation."  
  
Jack was starting to get worried now. "What do you mean mishap? Did he try a wonky spell or something?"   
  
"Though it would have certainly been funny, that's not what happened", Dashi said. "You see every couple of years, though I'm not sure how many years they are, something happens to Chase. If he doesn't have anyone to challenge him, or someone to teach or mold, he sort of goes into a deep hibernation that can only be undone through some rigorous Heylin magic."   
  
"What do you mean there's no one there for him to challenge or teach", Jack said, worried about his evil idol. "Omi's there and he's a mixture of both. I didn't wish the losers out of existence, did I?"   
  
Dashi put a hand out, gesturing Jack to calm down. "You haven't. You simply wished them out of your life and out of the conflict, and that's where they remained." 

  
  
Jack was still hesitant, maybe he could find a way to make peace with Wuya, though his new memories told him that she despised him just as much in this world.   
  
He turned to the ghost. "What am I supposed to do to fix this world then?"   
  
"Dimension", Dashi corrected. "And you will know, in time."   
  
The ghost started to disappear, but stopped for a second. He looked at Jack, preparing to say something.

  
  
"For the record", Dashi said as he disappeared. "In your dimension, you come _very_ close to ruling the world on more than one occasion." 

  
  
Dashi disappeared, leaving a panicking Jack to his thoughts. 

  
  
He didn't know what he was supposed to do and, if he were being honest, he wasn't sold on this Ashley being a great villain either.   
  
It seemed like an insult. Ashley was on the lower scale of evil and was more interested in annoying Jack than actually getting anything done. Her greatest ambitions were being a high-end art thief and meeting Cher, not necessarily in that order. How was it possible that she would come closer to ruling the world than he ever had? 

  
  
Jack was brimming with envy, mostly, though fear and worry were in the mix too. He was going to find the monks if it was the last thing he was going to do, and it was all out of spite. Mostly. 

  
  
But to find the monks, he had to get help and who would be better help than the one who found them in the first place? 

 

 

* * *

  
  
  
  
It took him only two hours to get to the temple, without any magical means.

   
  
Jack was exhausted and also very hungry, but he had to find the dragon before he collapsed. 

  
  
He was at the temple's entrance, before he realized that he never visited the temple like this before. Usually, his visits were very late at night...in secrecy...and not through the front door.   
  
Jack stood there, unsure of what do until he spotted one the elderly monks passing him by.   
  
"Excuse me", Jack said. "Can I speak to Dojo, please?"   
  
The elderly monk gave him a once-over, probably wondering why he knew Dojo at all, but nodded and gestured for Jack to follow.

  
  
  
  
Jack was waiting with in the tea room for Dojo, the elderly monk he now knew as Master Huang sitting across of him. 

  
  
Master Huang seemed disturbed by what Jack told him and was currently deep in thought.   
  
After a while of silence, the elderly monk spoke. "Dojo should be here any minute now."   
  
Jack nodded, though his nervousness didn't diminish at all.

It was nerve-wracking enough trying to explain the situation to Master Huang. He didn't know what would happen when he attempted to explain it to either the monks' teacher or the dragon. 

  
A polite cough announced Master Fung and Dojo. Both Jack and Master Huang stood up, though the latter left the room altogether.   
  
Pushed by nervousness, Jack bowed for a few seconds.   
  
Master Fung nodded at him, appreciatively, and gestured him to sit down.   
  
Jack and the old master sat down, with Dojo unchanging his position on the master's shoulder. 

  
  
Pouring the tea, Master Fung asked. "How may I help you, young man?"   
  
"Well, uh", Jack stuttered, suddenly not knowing what to say, with the monks' teacher sitting there calmly, it seemed like he was worried about nothing.   
  
Jack knew it wasn't real, but he could almost hear the monks' muffled voices if he strained his ears.   
  
Dojo took the initiative. "Master Huang said you asked for me. How about we start there?"   
  
Jack sighed. "Well, I'm Jack Spicer and I'm here to ask you to help me find the Xiaolin dragons."   
  
Dojo and Master Fung exchanged a look. "Are you serious?"   
  
Jack nodded, and Dojo rolled his eyes. "We have already looked for them, kid, and guess what? Nothing. Not one stinking dragon!"   
  
"Dojo", Master Fung said, his tone slightly reprimanding.   
  
"I apologize", Dojo said, with a feigned brightness. "What I mean is; we've looked high and low for them and have come up empty-handed! Better?"   
  
He said that last part to Master Fung, who sighed and turned to Jack.   
  
"Sadly, this is true. While we did sense the presence of the dragons, they simply seemed to have disappeared after we traveled to find them."   
  
"Well", Jack began. "I sorta know how we can find them ~~\--~~ you see, I actually know them, well knew them, I guess."   
  
Dojo's eyes widened. "What do you mean _knew_ them?"   
  
Jack realized what he may have implied. "Oh no, no, they're not dead. Uh, they're just wished out of this world?"   
  
Master Fung's face took on a worried expression. "Can you elaborate?"   
  
"I may have, uh", Jack said, sheepishly. "Sorta wished I never met them and that they wouldn't fight evil anymore?"   
  
"I see", Master Fung said. "Do you happen to be the same Jack Spicer that occasionally works with Wuya and Katnappe?"   
  
"You said it yourself", Jack said, not liking being put on the spot. "Occasionally. Besides this is sorta an end of the world situation here."   
  
Dojo scoffed. "An immortal witch is on the slow path to world domination. Yes, we know."   
  
The dragon then tilted his head to the side, looking at Jack suspiciously. "How do you even know that you haven't wished the dragons out of existence?"   
  
"I did _not_!"   
  
"If it's the place I'm thinking of", Dojo said. "It's very likely you did."   
  
"I _know_ I didn't do that", Jack said, insistently.   
  
"Fine, how?"   
  
"What do you mean how?"   
  
"How are you sure you didn't wish them out of existence?"   
  
Jack scratched his head. "Well, it's a weird story."  
  
Dojo narrowed his eyes. "I'm a 1500 year-old dragon, I've seen and heard everything at least twice!"   
  
Jack nodded, and proceeded to tell the conversation he had with Dashi.   
  
By the time he was finished, Master Fung's face was a mirror of Master Huang's.   
  
"Fate works in mysterious ways", the old master said after a while. 

  
  
He then turned to Dojo and said something in Mandarin. Dojo gave Jack a look and then turned to Master Fung and answered, his tone sounding defeated.   
  
"I suggest you get some rest if you want to start your search early", Master Fung said, standing up.   
  
Jack stood up too and followed him out of the room. "You're going to help me?"   
  
" _I'm_ going to help you", Dojo corrected. "And I'm only doing that because we're in a very critical position."   



	3. To Find a Japanese Heiress

 

Jack was barely done with his breakfast before Dojo flew into the room with incredible speed.  
  
  
"Uh, good morning", Jack said. "What's the ru ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Let's go, let's go, let's go", Dojo said, cutting Jack off. "We're late!"  
  
Jack looked at his phone. "Uh, White Rabbit, it's _9 a.m._ "  
  
Dojo gave him a dirty look. "Time doesn't matter. We’ve been late for four years now."  
  
"Fine", Jack said, sighing. "Where's the old ~~\--~~ uh, Master Fung?"  
  
The dragon only gave him a questioning look.  
  
Jack elaborated. "So we can go?"  
  
"Master Fung's not coming with us", Dojo explained. "I thought you could tell."  
  
"Well, no", Jack said. "He can't not come. How are the monks ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Dragons to be", Dojo corrected.  
  
"Whatever, how are they supposed to believe us?"  
  
Dojo smirked. "That's for you to find out, dimension unraveler."  
  
Jack groaned, stood up, and started stretching. Usually these kinds of missions involved a lot of running, which he knew his body in this dimension didn't do enough of.  
  
"If they kick my ass, it's on you."  
  
Dojo didn't bother to hide his smile. "Oh perish the thought."  
  
Jack was tempted to make a pretty rude gesture, but Dojo asked him a question that slipped his mind.

  
  
"How are we going to find the dragons?"  
  
"Excuse me", Jack said. "You mean you don't know?"  
  
Dojo rolled his eyes. "If I did we wouldn't be facing a possible 1000 years of darkness without any backup."  
  
"But, but you're a magical dragon ~~\--~~ "  
  
"All dragons are magical."  
  
Jack waved him off. "You get my point. Can't you sense them or something?"  
  
"By Dashi's great ghost, _no_ , I can't!"  
  
  
Jack did the only thing he could do then. He paced around panic-struck.  
  
"Why is this a big deal", Dojo asked after a few seconds. "I thought you said you knew the dragons?"  
  
Jack nodded. "I _do_ know them, but the only address that I know is Clay's because there was a Wu literally on his father."  
  
"Who's Clay?"  
  
"Oh, that's, you know", Jack began, still not believing that he knew more about the dragons than their guardian. "He's the Dragon of Earth."  
  
Dojo nodded. "Where does he live?"  
  
"He's in America, in Texas", Jack said.  
  
"And where do the other dragons live?"  
  
Jack scratched his chin. "Well, Kim ~~\--~~ "  
  
He shook his head. It was best he not use the dragons' names as if Dojo knew them when he didn't.  
  
"The Fire Dragon's in Japan, the Wind Dragon's in Brazil, and the Water Dragon is China."  
  
Dojo perked up at the last phrase. "That's right here, let's go!"  
  
"Let's not", Jack said. He couldn't begin to think about the headache that the search for Omi was going to be.  
  
The dragon was looking at him expectantly, so Jack elaborated. "He's ~~\--~~ I'm not exactly sure where he is."  
  
" _What_?"  
  
"Let's just get the other dragons first."  
  
Dojo scoffed. "You don't _know_ where the other dragons are."  
  
"We'll start with the nearest country then", Jack said, annoyed. "Besides I have a feeling the Fire Dragon will be relatively easy to find."

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
They had been in Tokyo for about three hours before Dojo got fed up.

 

  
"The Fire Dragon will be easy to find, huh", he said after a while.  
  
Jack scratched his neck, embarrassed. "I may have oversimplified it a little."  
  
"A little", Dojo snorted. "Try a lot. Do you even know how many people are in Tokyo?"  
  
Jack didn't answer and instead attempted to nurse his wounded pride by looking for any convenient stores.  
  
Dojo was dying to argue with him, Jack could tell, but from the way his stomach growled he wasn't about to start anytime soon.

  
  
Jack and Dojo had been sharing a family-size bag of chips, among other snacks, in a semi-awkward silence when Dojo decided it was time to go back to their mission.  
  
Licking chip residue off his claws, Dojo regarded the passers-by with vague interest before turning back to Jack.  
  
"What does the Fire Dragon look like?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "She has light brown skin and blue eyes and the ability to pull off anything no matter how weird it is."  
  
"Okay", Dojo said, clearly not trusting Jack's description. "Other than the uncanny similarity she has to one of our former dragons, there's nothing that particularly stands out."  
  
Dojo looked thoughtful for a moment then snapped his fingers, finally finding something.  
  
"Oh, hair! What's her hair color?"  
  
"How's that gonna help us?"  
  
"You'd be surprised how many dragons we found that way", Dojo said, smugly. "We even saved a dragon from stoning by simply looking for the only fire-breathing redhead around!"  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm sure just following the cries of ' _stone the witch!_ ' would've been enough."   
  
Dojo was about to yell at him again, so Jack added. "Besides, your dragon is pretty much always wearing some wig!"  
  
"How are we supposed to find her then", Dojo said. "We don't even know what she looks like!"  
  
"Dude, relax. Just google her."  
  
The dragon was confused. "What?"  
  
"You know, google", Jack said. "It's when you ~~\--~~ "  
  
"I'm fully aware of what googling is!"  
  
"Then what's the prob ~~\--~~ "  
  
"You knew exactly how to find the Fire Dragon and you didn’t care to tell me?!"  
  
Jack felt sucker-punched and disgraced. How can he call himself an evil genius after momentarily forgetting about the _entire_ internet?  
  
Keeping his eyes on the angry dragon, Jack took his phone out of his pocket and began googling Kimiko.  
  
He frowned, as Dojo peered over his shoulder; there were way too many search results for Kimiko in this dimension.  
  
"You didn't tell me the Fire Dragon is a model", Dojo said, accusingly.  
  
Jack almost dropped his phone. " _What?_ "  
  
"She's a model, Jack", Dojo repeated, pointing at one of the search results. "You didn't know?"  
  
"She wasn't a model in the dimension I left", Jack answered.  
  
Dojo nodded, stroking his chin. "Well, she did have four more years that she wasn't busy fighting Heylin in."  
  
"It's so weird, though", Jack said, shaking his head. "I mean, like, no offense, she's pretty and everything but I thought she would just stick to being an heiress."  
  
"At least we have a lead now", Dojo said. "So if you would, just get on with it, will you?"

  
  
Knowing more about Kimiko seemed to hinder their progress in finding her rather than help it.  
  
Jack discovered that the hard way, after asking a dozens of people about her.  
  
They all knew her, which was great, but no one knew how to find her.  
  
All in all, Jack had gotten more weird looks than clues.  
  
He'd almost given up when Dojo spotted a woman coming out of a fancy-looking building.  
  
"Ask her", Dojo said, directly pointing at the woman who wasn't very far off. "I have a good feeling about this one."  
  
"We've asked nearly everyone in Tokyo", Jack said, exasperated. "Why do you think she'll make a difference?"  
  
"Okay, first of all, you _know_ that's a lie", Dojo said.  
  
Jack shrugged. "And secondly?"  
  
"Secondly", Dojo said, fumbling for a follow-up. "You'll do what the temple guardian says!"  
  
"Fine", Jack grumbled, walking to the woman, who was on her phone now.  
  
  
The woman was talking rapidly on the phone, and from her tone Jack could gather that it was an emergency of sorts.

He slowly shifted his stance wishing he could be anywhere else right now.  
  
The woman looked at him, silently asking him what he wanted probably, as whe continued her phone call. Jack didn't budge.  
  
A minute or so later, the woman finally hung up and looked at Jack expectantly.  
  
"Um", Jack began. "Hello?"  
  
Her expression was a mirror of her scrutiny. "Hi."  
  
Jack could feel himself sweating excessively at the pervading awkwardness.  
  
"Do you know Kimiko Tohomiko, Ms.?"  
  
The woman gave him a version of the odd looks he's been getting all day, but she nodded. "Who doesn't?"  
  
Running out of patience, Dojo immediately got to the point. "You happen to know where we can find her?"  
  
The woman apparently never noticed Dojo, because she was regarding him with an odd fascination now.  
  
 "Incredible", she said in awe, much to Dojo's delight. "I never believed Mr. Tohomiko when he said he was upgrading the mini-bots, but he loves proving me wrong."  
  
Jack was confused. "What?"  
  
"Your dragon mini-bot", the woman said, gesturing to Dojo. "It looks completely real!"  
  
"I have a name, you know!", Dojo said, all traces of flattery vanishing.  
  
Jack didn't have time to stop the potential argument. He cut off Dojo before he could continue ranting.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, he's also perfectly sentient", Jack said, waving absent-mindedly. "Look, can you help us find Kimiko or not? It's urgent."  
  
The woman looked him up and down, as if just seeing him for the first time. " _You're_ Jacques?"  
  
Jack hesitated but nodded anyway.

He wasn't averse to lying, which some saw as a quintessential villian requirement, but this technically wasn't a lie. He could be Jacques...if he were French.  
  
The woman extended her arm, giving him a polite smile. "Welcome to Japan, Mr. Jacques. I'm Ms. Ito and we need to hurry."  
  
"What ~~\--~~ why?", Jack asked.  
  
"Your photoshoot with Kimiko is scheduled for today", Ms. Ito said. "That's why I was meeting you here, right?"  
  
Jack noticed the wary, vaguely cautious tone and decided to take the chance he was given nevertheless.  
  
"Yes, yes, this was scheduled for today", Jack said, unsure of the personality he was supposed to adopt. "I hope I'm not late."  
  
"You're not", Ms. Ito said, pausing uncertainly. "I must say you've surprised me, though, Mr. Jacques."  
  
Jack groaned internally; he must have blown it. "Uh, why?"  
  
"You have a reputation of being quite uptight, for lack of a better word."  
  
So that Jacques guy was an asshole, Jack thought, appreciatively. It didn't hurt to have more material to work with.  
  
"Well yeah, I can be very staunch, but that's just when I'm working, mind you."  
  
"I'll make sure to keep that in mind, Mr. Jacques", Ms. Ito said.  
  
"Please, call me Jacques."  
  
Ms. Ito didn't even bother pretending to smile. "No."  
  
  
  
  
Jack could almost jump for joy when they reached the studio half an hour later.  
  
Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was understandably excited. Dojo was vibrating on his shoulder.  
  
"Stop that", Jack whispered. "You're ruining my jacket."  
  
"I can't help it", Dojo whispered back. "This place is screaming elemental energy!"  
  
"Oh gee", Jack said, sarcastically. "Could it be the Dragon we're after maybe?"  
  
"Don't take that tone with me, young man!"  
  
Jack shushed Dojo, to the latter's chagrin, and they followed Ms. Ito into one of the rooms.  
  
Ms. Ito gestured them to sit down and looked at the door before looking back at them. "She'll be here any minute. Please make yourselves comfortable."  
  
Jack sat down on the nearest chair, attentively facing the door. This was it.

  
  
He tried to not let any nervousness show and instead thought about his mini-presentation, hoping that it would work.  
  
Dojo, on the other hand, was an epitome of a nervous wreck.  
  
"What if it's just a girl with the same name? What if it _is_  her and it turns out she's a complete dud?  What if ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Shut up", Jack said, almost whining. "You're gonna jinx it!"  
  
Jack ignored Dojo after that and tried to not to dwell on how common the name ' _Kimiko_ ' was in Japan.   
  
  
Someone said something rapid-fire Japanese by the door and Jack perked up.

There was only one person he knew whose voice was that mix of high-pitched and appealing.  
  
Dojo perked up too, inevitably sensing her. "It's her!"  
  
At that same moment, Kimiko's voice came into the room, followed by her body.  
  
"It's an honor to finally meet you, Mr. Jac ~~\--~~ ", she said, pausing when she saw him.

This dimension's Kimiko wasn't that different, Jack supposed.

She was wearing something weird but tasteful, which was a perfectly Kimiko-ish trait.  
  
Something else that was awfully Kimiko-ish was the glare on her face, which, shaded by the bangs from her bright blue wig, made her look like an angry mermaid.  
  
"Who the hell are you?", Kimiko asked, tonelessly.  
  
"Um, well, you see", the stammering nervousness Jack didn't want quickly seeped in. "I can explain."  
  
"You will do no such thing", Ms. Ito said, followed by two security guards.

  
  
After having been shown their way out ~~\--~~ well, thrown out really ~~\--~~ Jack and Dojo spent the rest of the day posted out the studio under the cover of the Shroud of Shadows.  
  
Dojo spent those hours switching from complaining to sleeping, while Jack just ate the rest of the chips bag.  
  
About five hours later, Dojo perked up on Jack's shoulder. "She's on the move."  
  
Jack, who was trying to remember the last time he saw Kimiko wearing the angry mermaid wig, wasn't fully aware of what the dragon said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Kimiko's leaving the studio, you lazy git!"  
  
"Cool, let's go."

 

  
It was very difficult following Kimiko around the city she literally knew like the back of her hand.  
  
"Why is she not walking in a straight line?", Jack complained. "And why is she faster than I am? Her legs are tinier!"  
  
He'd been walking, sometimes jogging, after Kimiko for an hour now, and she has been incredibly hard to follow.  
  
It started relatively easy with Kimiko walking a straight path at first, but then she went into a video game store, then a particularly expensive shoe shop, then a convenience store.  
  
It may have seemed relatively innocent at first, but as time went on, Jack knew she was doing this on purpose.  
  
Somehow Jack knew Kimiko had sensed that someone was following her ~~\--~~ well, he was positively certain when he spotted her clenching her first and turning around everh few minutes.  
  
  
  
Kimiko ran out of patience, it seemed, because she continued on a straight path after the eleventh store.  
  
Jack, with Dojo on his shoulder, followed her more cautiously this time. It felt like she was leading them to a trap.  
  
He was about to tell Dojo this when Kimiko stopped abruptly in front of an impressive house.  
  
She waited for a few seconds before going in, Jack followed her, fear growing in his guts.  
  
  
  
Jack followed Kimiko through the entrance and up the stairs and found her in front of the room nearest to the staircase.  
  
She opened the door and quickly went in.  
  
Jack hesitated to follow her this time.

He was positive this wasn't going to end well when he saw her leaving the door open, probably expecting him to come in.  
  
"Move", Dojo urged with a low voice.  
  
Jack did as he was told and went into the bedroom. He sighed, took off the Shroud, and was immediately tackled to the ground.

  
"Dude, what the fuck!", he yelled.  
  
Kimiko took a step back. "You again."  
  
"I told you", Jack said, trying to get off the floor and watch his back at the same time. "I need to talk you. Can you not call security or something until I do that?"  
  
"Trust me, I don't need to call _anyone_ ", she said, making a show of clenching her fists. "But since you've been pretty much stalking me all day, I'll budge. Did you want a photo or something?"  
  
"What? No", Jack said, though he couldn't help but feel like he was lying. This dimension's memories were fuzzy at best but he could tell that Kimiko was pretty famous.  
  
Kimiko was curious now.

"Then what do you want? If it's about your dragon mini-bot", she said, ignoring the seething Dojo. "My father has a customer service department."   
  
Jack shook his head and took a deep breath. "I want ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Shut the door first", Kimiko cut him off.  
  
Jack shut the door and turned to face Kimiko, who was now sitting on a futon.  
  
"So, like I was saying", Jack continued. "Im here to talk to you about ~~\--~~ "  
  
"You're the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire", Dojo interrupted.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"He said you're the ~~\--~~ "  
  
"I heard him", Kimiko said, glaring at Jack.  
  
Dojo took this as a chance to continue.

"So, normally I'd have an entire presentation ready but we're on a tight schedule. You'd have loved it though, it had special effects and everything."  
  
Noticing the looks the two teenagers were giving him, Dojo cleared his throat.  
  
"I suppose you may have noticed that you have some special connection with a certain element, say, fire?", Dojo said.  
  
Kimiko nodded, so he continued.

"Maybe you liked to obsessively watch the fireplace as a child or you felt weirdly excited by bonfires or maybe you have considered arson at some point. Sometimes you may have noticed that you can actually start fires quite easil ~~\--~~ "  
  
"You mean like this?", Kimiko said and snapped her fingers, making a small flame appear on her fingertips.  
  
Dojo raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so you're aware of your powers and you're a show-off."  
  
"Sorry", Kimiko said, smiling like she wasn't sorry at all.  
  
"Don't worry", Dojo said, rolling his eyes. "We've had plenty of show-offs in the last couple of centuries."  
  
"So what does a Xiaolin dragon do exactly?"  
  
Jack made an indirect motion with his hands. "You go to the Xiaolin temple and ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Hey, hey", Dojo interjected. "Who's the temple guardian here?"  
  
Jack scoffed. "Fine. You say it."

 "Thank you", Dojo said, with a pointed look. " _Anyway_ , you are to go the Xiaolin temple ~~\--~~ "

  
"Where's that?", Kimiko asked, typing something on her phone.  
  
"In China."  
  
"Yeah, where in China?"  
  
"In the Hunan province", Dojo said. "Why?"  
  
"Can you write that down?", Kimiko said, handing Dojo her phone.  
  
Dojo typed in the temple's address and handed Kimiko her phone.  
  
"So anyway, you are to go to the Xiaolin temple, train physically and spiritually, and try to stop the world from falling into the hands of evil. Uh, if you accept."  
  
"Please do", Jack said, though he didn't agree with the whole stopping the world from falling into evil hands, _period_. "I've been breaking my back trying to reach you."  
  
Kimiko looked deep in thought. "You know, it's weird, something's telling me I should say yes but it's ~~\--~~ you're asking me to leave my entire life behind!"  
  
"That's a strong choice of words", Dojo said, worriedly.  
  
"What about school? My family and friends?"  
  
"You can visit anyone you want and they can visit you", Dojo answered. "And we can get you tutors; this is not the first time a dragon joined the temple while in school."  
  
Jack decided to butt in. "Besides, you're being offered a once in a lifetime chance here ~~\--~~ you get to be a big damn hero and go on all sorts of adventures and stuff."  
  
Kimiko didn't look opposed to what he was saying, so he continued, feeling a little inspired.

"And you'll get to just be you. No boring events you have to go, no stuffy people you gotta impress for your parents."  
  
"You're a rich kid too, yeah?"  
  
"Yeah, but my point still stands."  
  
Kimiko didn't answer, and instead gave him her back.

  
Jack was disappointed; he was positive he'd sold it. Turning around, too, he headed to the door, Dojo in tow.  
  
He opened the door, ready to leave, before Kimiko spoke.  
  
"I've always wanted to be a big damn hero."  
  
Jack turned back. "I hope that's a yes."  
  
"It is."  
  
Jack almost whooped, but Dojo beat him to it.  
  
Kimiko smiled at the excited dragon and added.

"You're coming with me to dinner at my grandmother's and you", she pointed at Dojo. "Are going to tell my family."  
  
Dojo stopped whooping and sighed. "Fair enough."

 

  
  
  
At the family dinner that night, Jack finally met Keiko, Kimiko's best friend, who he heard about plenty of times while eavesdropping on the monks.

  
  
"So you're the stalker boy", she said, going to stand next him in the furthest corner in the room after dinner was over.  
  
"Yeah, yeah", he said, eyes on Kimiko's family as Dojo, who'd switched to Japanese, was telling them the news. "My reputation preceeds me."  
  
Keiko snorted and put both her hands in the air. "You know, I'm not gonna bother. Your attitude stinks."

She waited for Jack to make some sort of apology, but he, like a good villian, stood his ground.  
  
Keiko sighed and left Jack standing in the far-off corner of the room and went to join Kimiko's family as they took in the news.  
  
Jack stared at the family.  
  
Someone, a cousin, was saying something in a worried tone. Kimiko said something back, reassuringly. Another, an aunt, said something too and soon the entire family was talking.  
  
Eventually, everyone quieted and one by one they started giving their goodbyes.  
  
Kimiko started hugging her aunts and Keiko's mother, who Jack discovered was an old family friend, and Keiko herself.

Jack didn't consider himself to be very sensitive, but he almost teared up when Kimiko hugged her father, who's face was the picture of pride and worry, simultaneously. 

  
Kimiko went to her grandmother last, lingering there the longest. Now Jack was positive he had let a few tears shed.  
  
Dojo went to the door and Kimiko followed, rolling her suitcase behind her.  
  
She stopped at the door and turned and said one last goodbye to the family and went out the door.  
  
Dojo expanded to his travelling size and easily lifted Kimiko's suitcase up and onto his back.  
  
Jack climbed on Dojo and sat in front of the suitcase.  
  
Kimiko was wiping the tears off her face. "Isn't the bag going to fall like this?"   
  
Dojo shook his head. "Nah, it's between you and Jack. Besides, magical travelling barely takes an hour, maybe two hours if it's very far."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
Dojo theatrically puffed his chest. "To find the Dragon of the Wind. Next stop: Brazil!"  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it seems a little unconventional but it'll make sense I promise.


	4. Misunderstood Cult Promoters

 

 

 

 

 

Kimiko's face was way too shocked for someone who discovered they were a Xiaolin Dragon only four hours ago.

 

"Wait, what?"  
  
  
They'd been flying for slightly over an hour and Dojo began telling Kimiko about some of the more noteworthy former dragons.

Jack was particularly surprised that _Eartha Kitt_ had a short stint with temple, but he of course had to open his big mouth and one thing led to another and ~~\--~~

"You're from another _universe_?"  
  
"Dimension", Jack corrected. "And yeah, I am."  
  
Kimiko was brimming with curiousity. "And you knew me there, right? What was I like?"  
  
Jack didn't know which information to divulge. "Uh, pretty much the same."  
  
"Right", she said, not believing a word he was saying but not willing to hound him.

"So, Dojo, were there other famous Dragons?"  
  
"Oh, tons", Dojo said, starting on the rooftop of a remote building. "But you're going to listen to those stories later. We're here."  
  
Jack stretched and jumped off the dragon's back. "Already?"  
  
"Magical travelling is kinda what I do, kid."

 

  
An hour later, while they were having a short brunch, Jack discovered something very important.  
  
It was _freezing_ in Brazil this time of year.  
  
"Oh, I did not pack well", he said, running his hands all over his arms. His jacket, with its thin fabric, didn't do much.  
  
Jack gave Kimiko a loathing look. She was wearing a summer dress ~~\--~~ well, according to her and her condescending look, it was a romper.  
  
"How the hell are you not cold?"  
  
It was Dojo's turn to give him a scalding look.

"She's the Fire Dragon."  
  
Jack scoffed and turned to look at his surroundings. The city had a magnificent view from the rooftops.  
  
"Where are we anyway?", Jack asked.  
  
"Brasilia", Dojo announced. "Figured we should start with the capital."  
  
"Cool", Kimiko commented. "Now does anyone have any idea where are we going to find our dragon?"  
  
"We could just look around for the circuses around", Jack offered. "I heard him mention that he was in the circus when I was snooping on you guys."  
  
Kimiko wrinkled her nose. 

"I don't know what's creepier; the fact that you spied on us or that you're just telling it like that."  
  
"Try both", Dojo said, dragging Kimiko and Jack by the hands to the exit. "And no fighting on the stairs." 

 

* * *

  
  
  
"Can't we take a break yet?", Jack whined. "We've been going all around day!"

 

  
They were in a taxi, on their way to the next circus, the seventh to be precise.  
  
Kimiko shrugged while texting away on her phone. "Dojo said we can take a break after two more places."  
  
Jack looked at Kimiko incredulously. "Why are you taking this so well?"  
  
"Would you rather I bitch about every little thing too? Because I can and then you'll beg me to cut your ears off."  
  
Sighing, Jack decided to stop whining. He almost longed for that day when it was just him and Dojo.

  
  
The seventh circus of the day, Circo Mágico Da Sousa, had its tent already pitched at somewhere remote and partly vacant in the city, much like the other circuses.  
  
Jack, like at much of the other circuses, wasn't very optimistic.   
  
"Are you getting anything?", he asked Dojo, who was perched at the center of Kimiko's short blonde wig.  
  
Dojo sniffed around, his nose slightly red. "I can't tell. The weather difference is really messing up the scent."  
  
"But is there any kind of hint?", Kimiko asked, looking around the lot with vague interest.  
  
"A little, but I can't tell if our Dragon is here or just passed through."  
  
A middle-aged man approached the group and coughed to get their attention. He looked like he has barely gotten enough sleep and wasn't at all ready to hear their chattering.  
  
Jack reacted first. "Uh, yes?"  
  
"If you are here for the show", the man said with a voice more tired than Jack could've imagined. "It's not until later in the night."  
  
"We're not here for the show; we're looking for someone actually", Kimiko said, nudging Jack sharply with her elbow.  
  
"Yeah", Jack agreed, rubbing his sore ribcage. "Do you know any Raimundos who work around here?"

 The man nodded. "There are two around here. Rodrigues and the Pedrosa boy." 

Jack snapped his fingers. "Yes, the second one. We're looking for the Pedrosa guy."  
  
"Why?", the man asked, regarding with understandable suspicion.

Jack couldn't hold it against him.

All the man saw were two teenagers, one dressed very brightly and the other dressed like a Dracula extra, and a gecko, for all he knew. 

"Just to talk", Jack said, not even attempting to lie like he did to Ms. Ito. His back still hurt from that one.  
  
"We're fans", Kimiko added, with a winning smile.  
  
"Fans", the man scoffed. "The boy barely had this acrobat job for a year and he has _fans_."  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow at that.

He remembered distinctly hearing Raimundo said he was an acrobat ever since he went to the circus as a boy.  
  
 Making a mental note to investigate when he got back to his own dimension, Jack turned his attention back to the middle-aged man.  
  
"Yep", Jack said. "Fans, that's what we are."  
  
The man gave him a weird look and turned to say something to Kimiko. He squinted a little.  
  
"Well ~~\--~~ wait, do I know you?"  
  
Kimiko winced. "...No?"  
  
"You look very familiar", the man insisted. "You came to our circus before?"  
  
Kimiko shook her head, trying to come up with an excuse.  
  
Realizing why the man thought Kimiko was familiar, Jack decided to intervene.  
  
"She's an actress", Jack said, not quite lying. "She's done lots of movies, that's why you recognize her."  
  
The man rolled his eyes. "She is not  _that_ familiar."  
  
Kimiko gasped, insulted. "For your information, sir, I ~~\--~~ "  
  
Jack clamped his hand over her mouth.

"She's always cast in a minor role or as an extra or something, you know."  
  
"Fine", the main said, and looked at his watch. "You can have five minutes with him, but then he has to practice and you'll leave."  
  
Jack nodded, trying to ignore the increasing disgust he was feeling towards Kimiko at this particular moment. "Very generous of you, sir."  
  
The man gestured them to follow him and started walking.  
  
Jack took his hand off Kimiko's mouth and gave her a dirty look.  
  
"Dude", he said, wiping his hand on his pants. "You _licked_ me!"  
  
Kimiko glared at him. "You put your hands over my mouth, you tool."  
  
"Guys", Dojo said in a warning tone. "Can we follow the nice man before I lose it?"

 

Jack and Kimko followed the man to the circus train parked in the distance.  
  
The man walked the length of the train and stopped in front of the third to last car.  
  
He knocked, yelled something in Portuguese, and waited for a few seconds.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
The man turned to Jack and Kimko with an apologetic smile. "Excuse me."  
  
He turned back to the car and banged again.  
  
Someone yelled back something from inside the car, but Jack couldn't quite tell who it was from the way it was muffled.  
  
The door slid and an angry, sleepy yet-to-be Wind Dragon appeared.  
  
"Que diabos?", Raimundo said, in a very irritated tone.  
  
Jack couldn't understand him, but he had a small idea of what he meant.  
  
The man said something sarcastically in Portuguese, and gestured at them. "Fans."  
  
Raimundo, who'd looked resignedly irritated with the first part of sentence, perked up at the second bit.  
  
He looked at them, still surprised. "You're here to see me?"  
  
"Yeah", Jack said. "Listen, can we come in?"  
  
Raimundo gave them a look, then as if a light bulb went off in his head, stood straighter.

"Yeah, sure."  
  
The man scoffed and left, while the teenagers and the undercover dragon went into the train car and shut the door.  
  
Raimundo didn't give them a chance to talk.  
  
"I'm ready to sign right now, but I require a five percent increase."  
  
He took a pen out of his pyjama pants' pockets and clicked it, looking at them anticipatingly.  
   
"I believe I speak for everyone when I say", Dojo began, confused. "What?"

 

 "Your lizard talks", Raimundo pointed out, nonchalantly. "At least I think it's a lizard ~~\--~~ there's some sort of animal mini-bot craze going around." 

"Yeah", Jack said. "Uh, we still don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Raimundo raised an eyebrow. "You're the Cirque De La Lune recruiters, right? You're the ones who recruited my sisters."  
  
He got no response, so he continued. "The twin trapeze artists? Luisa and Lucrecia?"  
  
Kimiko titled her head to the side, smiling apologetically. "There has been a misunderstanding."  
  
Raimundo, Jack found out, made looking intimidating in pyjamas a pretty easy look.  
  
"I hope you can fix it then."  
  
Kimiko waved her hands around abstractly.

"We can, we can, Jack tell him about the hero thing and the temple and, like, the whole shebang."  
  
Raimundo gave her a once-over. "Aren't you that girl from the cherry soda commercial?"  
  
"I'd much rather get recognized for my work for Gucci, but yes I am", Kimiko said, smiling and probably still seething at the middle-aged man.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, that camera didn't do you enough justice", Raimundo said casually, turning his attention to Jack. "And you, start talking."  
  
Dojo almost started, but Jack unfortunately beat him to it. "We want to take you to China with us!"  
  
Jack saw Kimiko face-palming and suddenly realized how that must have sounded. He really didn't want to see the look on Dojo's face right now.  
  
"I can explain ~~\--~~ "  
  
"So can I", Raimundo said, glaring at him. "I just lost seven minutes of sleep that I really could've used to talk to tourists trying to recruit me for some cult"  
  
He walked to the train car door and slid it open. "Get out."  
  
Jack started protesting. "But ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Get _out_ ", Raimundo repeated with a threatening undertone. "I have to practice and I better not see you when I get out of this car!"

 

  
They were having lunch at a small restaurant near the circus when Kimiko started.  
  
"So what's our game plan now?"  
  
Dojo spoke through the fries jammed in his mouth.

"I would've preferred to catch him after the show, but since we're banned we'll wait till he leaves and follow him around."  
  
"I don't know", Jack said, playing with his drink's straw. "We did that before already ~~\--~~ and I really don't want to get tackled into the ground again!"  
  
He stared pointedly at Kimiko, who just stared at him back. "What?"  
  
"You never apologized for that."  
  
"And I'm not going to. You literally stalked me the entire day and you sort of did a little identity theft thing too."  
  
"Was it really my fault that no one knew what this Jacques guy looks like?"  
  
"He's a little bit of a recluse", Kimiko defended. "The only photo I've seen of him is a snapshot someone took on accident!"  
  
Dojo finished his food and grabbed the rest of Jack's unfinished fries.

"Doesn't matter, Kimiko. Water under the bridge."  
  
Kimiko and Jack shared a look before the former turned to the dragon. "You seem in an awfully good mood today."  
  
Dojo waved a fry around happily. "Yeah, this is the last night we're going to bust our behinds looking for more of you, missy."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Jack knows the Earth Dragons address", Dojo explained. "It'll be a piece of cake."  
  
Jack scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, but you're forgetting someone else", he said, sheepishly. "The missing Water Dragon."  
  
All traces of Dojo's good mood evaporated. "Just couldn't let me have it, could you?"

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 Dojo, Jack, and Kimiko were playing a very boring game of Go Fish as they waited outside the circus tent for the show to end. 

 

"You know", Dojo commented as he lost another game. "I still can't believe he got us banned from the show."  
  
"No, that's pretty believable", Kimiko said. "I just can't believe he got _me_ banned."  
  
Jack snorted. "Why? Because you're semi-famous internationally?"  
  
"No", Kimiko answered, sincerely. "Because of my natural charm and wit. No one has ever gotten me banned anywhere."  
  
"Well, I did tell you it's going to be a new experience."  
  
Jack shushed Dojo and pointed at the tent.

 

 Kimiko and Dojo turned around to see a lone figure in tight blue pants and matching vest exiting the tent. 

  
"He makes that look work", Kimiko commented wryly, as they prepared to follow Raimundo to the train.  
  
"You should see him when we're touring out of Brazil. The pants have the colors of our national flag."  
  
They turned around slowly to face the middle-aged man from this morning visit, looking at them exasperatedly.  
  
Kimiko began to say something, but the man cut her off. "I'm beginning to think you're less ' _fans_ ' and more ' _stalkers_ '."  
  
"Hey, don't lump me in the same category as him!", Kimiko said, jerking her thumb at Jack.  
  
"Then, I suggest you leave."  
  
Kimiko was getting into an argumentative stance that Jack was increasingly familiar with. He stopped her.  
  
"We'll go", he said to the man as they walked away from the tent.  
  
They hadn't even turned a corner when Kimiko smacked upside the head.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"What the hell, dude?", Kimiko said in a bad imitation of Jack's voice. "We're going to lose the trail."  
  
"Calm down, Elmer Fudd", Jack said. "Dojo tell her to stop yelling at me."  
  
"Please", Kimiko said. "Dojo's with me on this one, right Dojo?"  
  
"As much as it pains me to say this, kid", Dojo said. "I have to agree with Jack on this one."

Jack put his hands on hips in an annoyed manner. "We're going back, but we just need to put on ~~\--~~ "  
  
"The invisibility cloak", Kimiko completed, sighing like she couldn't believe she forgot about it.  
  
"Well, it's called the Shroud of Shadows, but you get it."

 

  
  
They followed Raimundo and a couple of other circus performers to a club in downtown Brasilia.  
  
  
Raimundo, who Jack decided looked better in regular clothes, was exceptionally happy, chattering to his friends about something or the other.  
  
"That's nice", Dojo said, as he translated. "He has a two week vacation starting tomorrow and he's going to spend time with the family."  
  
"Dojo, how many languages do you speak exactly?", Jack asked.  
  
Dojo stared pensively at nothing, silently counting on his claws. "Oh, about two thousand."  
  
Kimiko was impressed. "Wow, being magical must be fun."  
  
"This has nothing to do with magic", Dojo said, casually. "1500 years is a long time, you know."

  
  
Raimundo and his friends stood very far up front in the line, while the trio stood further back to avoid suspicion.  
  
They had long discarded the Shroud and were now waiting in line to get in.  
  
"It's been long since I've been in a club", Kimiko said in attempt to fill the silence. "I think it's been, like, three months?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Tell me about it; I haven't been in one for six months."  
  
Dojo and Kimiko both gave him a surprised look.  
  
"You're lying", Kimiko said, smirking. "You've never been in a club."  
  
"Yes, I have!"  
  
"Dragons can tell when you're lying, you know", Dojo said, innocently.  
  
Jack could feel his face redenning. "You can?"  
  
"No", Dojo said, smugly. "But you just gave it away ~~\--~~ I can't believe you fell for that."

 

They spent the rest of their waiting listening to Dojo list how many temple disasters could have been averted had he actually had a magical lie-detector.  
  
By the time they got in the club, Kimiko and Jack were so fed up by the stories that Jack was sure he was going to blow soon.  
  
"Thank you", Jack said to the bouncer as he let them in. "Seriously."

  
  
The nightclub was much bigger on the inside than Jack had imagined.  
  
Kimiko turned to Jack, the hoop earrings she put on the way swinging wildly. "How the hell are we going to find him here?"  
  
"Um, well, uh", Jack stammered. "Let's just look around and whoever finds him yells ' _Xiaolin_ '."  
  
"No need for all that", Dojo said, wrapped around Kimiko's neck like a scraf. "He's there."  
  
The two teenagers followed the direction Dojo's claw was pointed at and shared a look.  
  
"There's nothing there", Jack said.  
  
"Yeah", Kimiko agreed. "It's just a very crowded dance floor."  
  
Dojo nodded. "Yeah, he's at the heart of it all. Wind Dragons _are_ the lives of the party after all. Funny story, you ~~\--~~ "  
  
Kimiko cut him off.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to drag someone away from the middle of the dance floor? Especially when it looks like that?"  
  
"Yeah", Jack said. "Whoever goes out there must be a very good dancer or has a death wish."  
  
Dojo and Kimiko exchanged a look that Jack thought would have looked magnificent if they were evil.  
  
"You can't seriously expect the _temple guardian_ to go in there, do you?"  
  
"What about Kim ~~\--~~ "  
  
Kimiko cut Jack off. "I don't think so. You're the one who went ahead and undid his dimension. And left his fashion sense in 2001."  
  
"Was that last part necessary?"  
  
"I had to get that off my chest."  
  
  
  
Dodging potential dance partners, Jack spent approximately ten minutes trying to reach the center of the dance floor.  
  
"I hate clubbing", Jack muttered to no one in particular, though he couldn't deny that the heat from the dance floor was better than the freezing weather outside.  
  
He made his way through the crowd, bouncing lightly on his feet to give off the impression of dancing.  
  
Eventually Jack managed to reach the middle of the dance floor and discovered that Raimundo was actually a pretty good dancer  
  
"Wow", Jack muttered, as the music stopped for a song transition. "I'm not sure why I'm surprised."  
  
Apparently his voice wasn't low enough because the dancing circus boy heard him.  
  
Raimundo, clearly drunk, pointed at him. "It's Stalker Boy!"  
  
He said it in a laughing manner, clearly joking, but Jack noticed that a couple of the people near him stepped away.  
  
The DJ made up his mind and a new song started playing, Jack grabbed Raimundo's arm before he could get any further.  
  
"Come with me", Jack said. "I don't think I can take another dancing cross-fit session."  
  
Raimundo gave him a look, but surprisingly didn't retort. "Fine, but make it quick. I want to go back to having fun."  
  
  
  
Jack made his way out of the dance floor easier now that he had someone who was telling everybody to move aside in Portuguese.  
  
They found Kimiko and Dojo in the same spot Jack left them in.  
  
"Finally", Kimiko said with an eye roll. "Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to hack into a DJ's mixset?"  
  
"That was you?"  
  
"Yeah, I ~~\--~~ "  
  
Raimundo interrupted her. "Hey, you brought Soda Girl along!"  
  
Kimiko extended a hand. "Actually, it's Kim ~~\--~~ "  
  
Raimundo shook her hand with an excessive sort of drunk energy. "Yeah, yeah, I know you, Koko."  
  
Jack could see Dojo clearly holding in his laugh, but he couldn't keep his in any longer.  
  
He only stopped laughing when the angry girl stomped in his foot.  
  
"Anyway", Dojo said. "About the China thing. I realize we may have started on the wrong foot ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Yeah, about that", Raimundo said, an annoyed frown making its way to his face. "I'm not interested in joining any cults."  
  
Jack gasped. "You thought we were circus recruiters before. How did we turn into a cult?"  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "They pretty much look the same; you just get paid in one of them."  
  
"It's not a cult, though", Kimiko interjected.  
  
"Fine, fine, it's not a cult", Raimundo said. "Do we all sleep in the same place?"  
  
Dojo nodded. "You all share a room."  
  
"Do we wear the same thing?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Is there any potential way someone could die?"  
  
Jack sighed. "Yes."  
  
Raimundo crossed his arms over his chest, victoriously. "It's a cult."  
  
He then yelled something in Portuguese, but Jack had a pretty good idea of what it was and it sounded a lot like security.

  
  
Waiting outside, Jack rubbed his behind.  
  
He had been thrown out again and was pretty sure his bruises were going to be permanent.  
  
Getting the Dragons to the temple was a harder job than it seemed.

Jack made a mental note to be twice as respectful to Dojo and Master Fung when he got back to his own dimension.

 

Kimiko followed a few minutes later, walking casually, exchanging smiles with the bouncers who had thrown Jack out.  
  
"These guys are pretty cool", she said. "A couple of them asked for photos."  
  
Jack scoffed, nursing his wounded pride.

"Whatever, let's just go. If we get a move on, maybe we'll get to Texas early."  
  
Kimiko gaped at him. "You mean we'll leave? Just like that?"  
  
"Clearly, he's not going to listen to us", Dojo said, as he hoped off Kimiko's neck and prepared to expand.  
  
"You followed me all around _fucking Tokyo_!"  
  
Jack yawned. "Do you have any ideas how we can talk to him then? Because I'm not willing to get thrown out again."  
  
"We just need to corner him somewhere he can't make a scene", Kimiko said, shrugging. "Like at his family's."  
  
"We don't even know where his family lives."  
  
"We will when we follow the tracker I put on him tomorrow."    
  
Jack perked up. "Tohomiko, you're a genius!"  
  
"I know", Kimiko said, waving it off. "Now can we get a place to sleep?"

  
  
  
The next day, Jack was woken by a rejuvenated dragon.  
  
"Wake up, Spicer", Dojo said, his voice ringing right by Jack's ear.  
  
Jack threw a pillow at Dojo and got off the floor, where he had begrudgingly slept last night.  
  
"Morning, Kimiko", Jack said, in a petty tone. "Hope you enjoyed that bed while I probably got a back condition from sleeping _on the floor_."  
  
Kimiko gave him a sunny smile as she sorted out her wigs. "I did, thanks for asking."  
  
She picked two wigs out. "Rose gold or troll green?"  
  
Dojo held his chin in his claws, thoughtfully. "Rose gold."  
  
The dragon turned to Jack. "Get dressed quickly."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We're going to Rio."

Jack stretched. "Yeah, we're not going anywhere until we see a weather map." 

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
After a fifteen minute dragon-back flight, the gang landed in a vacant area near the tracker location.  
  
"Thank you again for taking Dojo Airlines", Dojo said, picking Kimiko's suitcase off his back and placing it on the ground. "Please give us a good rating."  
  
Kimiko dragged her suitcase behind her, as she followed the tracker on her phone.

"He should be somewhere around here."  
  
Jack pointed at the building further up the road. "How about there?"

 

  
Jack couldn't believe it was that easy, really.  
  
In front of them was a simple two story house.  
  
The second floor was painted in a soothing carnation pink and had a lot of people coming in and out of the balcony.

The first floor, however, had a sign in Portuguese that Jack could only read one word off.  
  
" Academia Pedrosa de Artes Marciais", Dojo read, matter-of-factly. "I _do not_ know how we missed that."

  
  
The three went to the martial arts studio's door and rang the bell.  
  
Dojo sighed. "I hope he knows  jiu-jitsu. It's been a while since we had that at the temple."  
  
A woman opened the door a few minutes later, welcoming them with a radiant smile.  
  
She gave them a scanning look, lingering a little on Jack, and said in English. "I hope you're not lost."  
  
Judging from the striking family resemblance, the woman was related to Raimundo.  
  
"We're here to see your...son? Or nephew, maybe?", Jack said, adding the last word uncertainly.  
  
"Which one?"

Jack almost answered, but the woman cut him off again.

"Nevermind. Take the stairs at the end of the hall and try not to disturb class", the woman said, smile still on out of habit.

 

  
The trio did as told and found another door at the top of the stairs.  
  
Kimiko nodded this time. "Sounds like they have people over."  
  
"Yeah, he's got a big family", Jack said, casually.  
  
"Let me guess, you know that from spying too?"  
  
"What happens if I said yes?"  
  
Kimiko didn't get to answer as they all turned around to look at who opened the door.  
  
"Ma ~~\--~~ oh my God, you are some of the most persistent cult people I have ever met!"  
  
"Raimundo", Dojo began, holding up a hand. "You're not shutting the door just yet."  
  
Raimundo rolled his eyes. " _Watch me_."  
  
Jack stuck his foot in but Raimundo didn't even get to shut the door.  
  
A 30-something year-old woman, who Jack assumed was a sister of his, appeared.

 She was saying something while gatherung her braids in a ponytail, but stopped at the scene in front of her.

With a glare, she turned to Raimundo and began scolding him.

After she was done, she turned the teenagers and the dragon. "I'm sorry about my brother. Are you here for anyone?"  
  
Jack nodded and gestured to the seething Wind Dragon. "We're here for him actually."  
  
"Oh", Raimundo's sister said, surprised.  
  
She looked at Kimiko and Jack in a new light.  
  
"So who are you? Friends? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?"  
  
She said something to Raimundo in Portuguese, which Dojo was very happy to whisper-translate to Jack as ' _I thought you had better taste in guys than Inês?_ '.  
  
Raimundo looked rather upset at the suggestion, much to Jack's wounded pride, and started to say something.  
  
Kimiko cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, I'm his girlfriend."  
  
Raimundo and his sister both looked surprised by this.  
  
"You are?"  
  
"I am", Kimiko affirmed. "It's just very new so I always forget to mention it."  
  
The sister nodded. "O-kay then, I'm Marta, and you're..?"  
  
"Well this Jack and I'm _Koko_ ", Kimiko said, side-eyeing Raimundo. "Can we come in?"  
  
Marta nodded and ushered them in. "Of course. How about you stay for dinner? It looks like you're set already."  
  
Kimiko blushed as she saw Marta was gesturing to the suitcase. "...We were on a road trip."  
  
Someone yelled something and Marta sighed and yelled back.  
  
"I'll go handle that. Make yourselves at home", Marta said, as she headed off in the direction of the voice.

  
Raimundo immediately turned on them.  
  
"The fuck was that?!"  
  
"Most people would've been happier if I said I was their girlfriend", Kimiko said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, _trust me_ , that's not the part I was upset about."  
  
Dojo decided to step in. "Can we go somewhere quiet to talk?"  
  
Raimundo looked around him, confused.

There were only a couple of kids playing around and older guy lounging on the couch with a magazine.

"This is quiet."

"Somewhere _quieter_."  
  
Raimundo wasn't in the mood for an argument, it seemed, because he just sighed and led them to a bedroom.  
  
He looked first before going in. "Come in, no one's napping here."  
  
Jack started talking. "You're the Xiaolin Dragon of the Wind."  
  
Raimundo looked understandably confused, but Dojo immediately launched into an explanation.

  
  
The room went quiet for a few minutes after explaining what being a Dragon meant, what they were supposed to do, and the eternal conflict between Xiaolin and Heylin.  
  
Raimundo, who had a hand on his cheek, recovered first.

"That all sounds very...exciting."  
  
"So you're coming?", Kimiko asked, snapping her fingers and making flames appear again.    
  
"That's one hell of a party trick", Raimundo said, genuinely impressed. "But that's the point ~~\--~~ I can't do stuff like that with air."  
  
Jack wasn't following. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm not..like _her_ , I really can't do magical stuff."  
  
"Not all Dragons are like this at first", Dojo said, beginning an explanation about how not all Dragons had any grip on their elements before coming to the temple.  
  
Raimundo seemed to be engrossed in what Dojo was saying, so Jack decided to do a little experiment.  
  
He grabbed a pocket knife from his pocket, one of two knives he decided to buy because Shen Gong Wu weren't really cutting it, and slowly opened it.  
  
Jack threw the knife at Raimundo, who caught it with impressive reflexes.  
  
Raimundo couldn't decide whether to be shocked or furious.  
  
 "What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you sure you didn't get _him_ from a cult?"  
  
Raimundo was so busy yelling at Jack and the others, he didn't see the other knife Jack threw coming.  
  
" _Seriously_? Are you trying to actively kill me?", Raimundo asked, quite indignant this time.  
  
He noticed the weird looks everyone was giving him. "What?"  
  
Jack smirked. "You didn't stop that knife with your hands that's what."  
  
Raimundo looked at the other knife, which was eerily suspended in the air. The knife dropped immediately.  
  
"Whoa", the Wind Dragon-to-be commented. "I knew there was a reason I'm an air sign."

Raimundo stood still for a few seconds and proceeded to stuff some clothes and other things into a duffelbag. 

"That's it?", Dojo asked. "No ' _what about my family_ '? Friends? School? Anything?" 

"I barely see my family anyway and I figure you have tutors."

Dojo gave Kimiko a look. "Thank you!" 

Jack wasn't convinced. "Still, it's too easy."

" _Please_ ", Raimundo snorted. "If you pushed that cult thing a little, I would've relented." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if you can actually hack a DJ mixset. Also this gets better.
> 
> And btw, usually the tell-tale sign that a group of people are tourists is the pale under-dressed white guy. 
> 
> Edit: also forgot to mention this but Raimundo is Afro-Brazilian 
> 
> Edit: His hometown is in Santa Catarina, whose major ethnic groups are Italians (and another group of white people I forgot) and Afro-Brazilians and we all know my baby isn't a white boy


	5. Goin' Back to Texas

 

 

"Is he joining the conversation anytime soon?"

  
  
That was Raimundo, not even pretending to be discreet about talking about Jack, who was literally a few inches in front of him.  
  
Jack didn't need to turn around to know that Kimiko was taking her usual time to roll her eyes before giving a whispered sarcastic remark.  
  
"I heard that", Jack said, snarkly.  
  
Kimiko's voice was snarkier. "Good. You were meant to."  
  
It wasn't really her fault that Jack was in such a sour mood, honestly.

He had been in that mood pretty much all day since they were pretty late on schedule.  
  
It had taken them a couple more hours to leave Raimundo's house than they had anticipated. About twelve hours more.

Mostly it was because his family ~~\--~~ well, Raimundo's brother Jacinto, really ~~\--~~ wasn't convinced about the whole Dragon deal. 

  
Then of course, Raimundo's mother and a couple of his aunts insisted that they stay for lunch...and then dinner.  
  
And after that, his oldest sister, Marta, who happened to be a very caring mom herself, _had_ to insist, in a _no-no-for-an-answer_ tone, that they stay the night and leave early in the morning.  
  
Stupid hospitable family, Jack grumbled silently.  
  
 It also certainly hadn't helped that Kimiko spent more time than necessary in the shower. Something both Jack and Ezequiel, another one of Raimundo's brothers, weren't very happy with.  
  
  
Failing to find a good comeback, Jack rolled his eyes.

"And I'm not joining in because you two are individually very mean, but when put together you're like... _super_ mean."  
  
"Oh wow", Kimiko said, in monotonous voice. "That really hurt my feelings."  
  
"It was meant to", Jack said in another awful imitation of her voice. "And besides, I'm more of a Star Wars kinda guy."  
  
Raimundo and Kimiko, who had been discussing Star Trek  favorites ~~\--~~ it was Uhura ~~\--~~ for the past hour, gasped.  
  
"The original trilogy is _boring_ ", Kimiko complained.  
  
"If you're gonna be into nerd stuff", Raimundo began, matter-of-factly. "At least try the _cool_ nerd stuff!"  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You seriously hate every little bit of Star Wars?"  
  
Kimiko shrugged. "Well, the new trilogy is way cooler than the first."   
  
"Yeah and Carrie Fisher was, like, the only white woman I've ever loved", Raimundo added.  
  
Kimiko and Jack both nodded at that and the three sat in silence for a minute before the former said something in a weird language.  
  
Raimundo laughed and they high-fived. "She just murdered you in Klingon."  
  
"Whatever", Jack said. "Saw it coming anyway."  
  
Jack turned away from the snickering duo and tried focusing on their destination.  
  
 It was taking a _really_ long time to get to Texas.  
  
"Dojo, are we getting there in this lifetime maybe? We need to get a move on ~~\--~~ with our luck, the Earth Dragon's probably a professional poker player in the dimension."  
  
  
  
  
It only took one more hour to get to Texas.  
  
During which Kimiko and Raimundo talked nonstop about a lot of things, which eventually led Jack to maybe _slightly_ raise his voice.  
  
It didn't sit well with the others and led them to make fun of him until they landed.

Jack made sure to keep a reasonable distance between himself and the other two after they landed ~~\--~~ close to the Bailey ranch yet far enough so no one can see a giant dragon shrinking. 

  
Raimundo went from saying something about John Cho to complaining about the heat in approximately three seconds.  
  
"What kind of demon weather is this?", he said, dragging behind him the surfboard he insisted he took everywhere he went.  
  
Kimiko readjusted the cowboy hat she was wearing. "It's just summer, dude, get a grip."  
  
"This isn't fair ~~\--~~ it was literally winter where you just picked me up. Avó made me pack a jacket!"  
  
Jack almost said something, but he decided to let it go. Instead, remembering something else, he decided to ask.  
  
"Yeah, by the way, do all the people we met yesterday live at your house?"

"Dude, _I_ don't live at my house", Raimundo said, rolling his eyes. "And no, they were just there for the twins' birthday."  
  
Kimiko titled her head a little. "Which twins? The older ones or the tiny little ones?"  
  
Jack nodded; he was positive he'd seen two sets of twins while he waited for cake.  
  
"Both my sisters and my nieces", Raimundo said. "It's actually kinda weird since we're in Gemini season and all but ~~\--~~ "  
  
He stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed at something in front of them. " _Whoa_."  
  
Kimiko looked up from her phone to see what was so interesting. "Oh...shit, we need to get out of here."  
  
Jack, who had been walking backwards the whole time, turned around to finally take a look. "What are you two talking abou ~~\--~~ "  
  
He didn't get to finish that sentence.

The cow stampede the trio was mesmerized with was getting pretty close. And Jack was in the front line for a bone-crushing horror.  
  
Raimundo and Kimiko moved to help him, but before anything can happen, Jack's world faded and he lost conscience.

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
"Ow, oh my head ~~\--~~ Jesus, fuck!"

  
Those were the first words ~~-~~ -verbatim ~~\--~~ Jack said when he came to later on.  
  
He was in the middle of waking up and processing the absolute ache he was in when he noticed he was staring into someone's bright blue eyes.  
  
"Holy crap, dude, does personal space mean nothing to you?!", Jack yelled, still in shock.  
  
As the person stepped away from his face, it turned out that the bright blue eyes weren't Kimiko's. Something Jack should've probably been able to tell; she wouldn't have been that concerned.  
  
The bright blue eyes were ~~\--~~  
  
"Clay!"  
  
The cowboy flinched a little bit at the loud yell.  
  
"That's a mighty impressive set of lungs you got there, partner!"  
  
Clay was, fortunately enough, the exact same guy Jack left in his dimension.

Same hat, same smile, and almost the same clothes.  
  
The word ' _partner_ ' alone was enough to make Jack almost cry with relief.  
  
"You know, cowboy, I'm so happy right now I could almost kiss you!"  
   
Clay shook his head. "Please don't do that. I got me a gentleman friend."  
  
Jack couldn't deny that he was a little disappointed that Clay had a boyfriend. "Oh."  
  
He shook it off ~~\--~~ it didn't matter anyway.  
  
Now it was only one more Dragon to go and this nightmare would finally be over. _Thank Dashi_.  
  
Jack was little more disturbed that he had just essentially thanked an almighty Xiaolin hero. Trying to block it out, he turned to Clay.  
  
"Where are my, uh..."  
  
He didn't know whether or not to call them friends, if he was being honest.

They were way friendlier to him in this dimension ~~\--~~ even friendlier than that time they went out for ice cream ~~\--~~ but he still wasn't sure it was appropriate. 

  
Jack was about to try out the word ' _frenemies_ ' when Clay stopped him.  
  
"Your friends are out in the kitchen waitin' on you", Clay said. "Boy, that concussion sure is worse than we thought."  
  
Jack grimaced. "What happened?"  
  
"Nothin' much. Betsy just ran out the ranch fence again and unfortunately, partner, you were in her way."  
  
That was a little embarrassing.  
  
"So just to be clear there wasn't any stampede?"  
  
Clay laughed. "Nah, but she sure does it make it look like one!"  
  
The cowboy stood awkwardly for a few seconds, thinking of something to say.  
  
"Ah, I'll guess I'll just go fetch your ~~\--~~ "  
  
The door bust open and a frantic blur of vivid color ran into the room followed by Raimundo.  
  
"They're here", Clay announced, redundantly.  
  
"We heard an annoying scream and we figured you were up", Kimiko started.  
  
Jack was almost going to retort back but he noticed the worry on her face, an expression he's never seen directed at him from someone who was Xiaolin and not Omi.  
  
He was touched, really, but there were only two things he could do at this moment: he could try to reassure her or milk her guilt.  
  
Jack went with the latter. "It was nice of you to save me ~~\--~~ oh wait, you didn't do that now did you?"

Kimiko and Raimundo looked more than a little guilty. The latter recovered first.  
  
"That wasn't _our_ fault", he defended, glaring at Dojo, perched on Kimiko's shoulder. "The gecko grabbed us and flew off!"  
  
"Really, Dojo?", Jack asked, surprised.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey", Dojo said, deflecting all accusations. "I just _found_ them, kid. Do you think I'll just let them get away like that?"  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. That dragon was getting on his last nerve.

It wasn't enough that he made him look a total idiot talking to a house pet ~~\--~~  
  
_Shit_ , Jack thought as he whipped his head to look at Clay.

They hadn't approached him yet and for all he knew, the cowboy was probably freaking out about the talking lizard.  
  
Clay gave him a look as he poured a glass of water.

He was completely resigned with this, Jack realized.  
  
"Oh yeah", Kimiko said as an afterthought. "Our cover's blown."  
  
"When did that happen?!"  
  
"About the time Dojo grew full-size, yanked us into the sky, and you got kicked in the head by a runaway cow?", Raimundo offered.  
  
The sarcasm was so thick, Jack's cheeks reddened. "There's no need to rub it in."  
  
Clay cleared his throat and the three teenagers and the dragon turned to look at him.  
  
Clearly uncomfortable with the attention, Clay tried to get it over with quickly.  
  
 "Now that y'all are good and freshened up and everything. Can we talk about the Xiaolin temple thing?"  
  
Jack's mouth dropped. He turned to the others.

"How long was I out?!"  
  
"Not that long", Kimiko assured, very shocked herself.  
  
"Is he a mind-reader?", Raimundo asked Dojo. "Is that a thing some of us do?"  
  
"No", Dojo began awkwardly, opting to fly off Kimiko's shoulder and onto Clay's hat. "I may have told him about the entire thing while you two were off _somewhere_?"  
  
He said that last part as if he had something on them.

The accused naturally fumbled for excuses.  
  
"We were checking out the ranch", Kimiko said, too innocently. "Besides, you _cannot_ turn this on us ~~\--~~ I was going to show Clay my badass party trick!"  
  
"Yeah", Raimundo added. "And I was going to get some knife from the kitchen."  
  
"Okay", Clay said, looking disturbed by the last part. "It's just Dojo told me that he thought it best to tell me on my own."

He paused.

"Said something about unfortunate scenarios when someone else tried to butt in."  
  
" _Hey_ ", Jack protested. "I was trying to help, you ingrate!"  
  
Dojo put his hands on his sides. "And you got us kicked out everywhere we went. You're like an anti-Midas, everything you touch turns to ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Okay then", Clay cut in, intercepting the ensuing fight. "How about we talk about this tomorrow morning after your friend recovers."  
  
He threw a look at Jack and muttered under his breath. "If the creek don't rise."  
  
The other two potential Dragons grumbled phrases of assent.  
  
"Well, you can show me all the party tricks you want till that happens", Clay added guiltily.  
  
"Finally", Raimundo said, exasperated. "Kimiko, get me a knife!"  
  
Kimiko and Raimundo ran out the door, quickly followed by a worried Clay, who yelled at them to only get the butter knives.  
  
Jack sighed, contendly.  
  
It was almost like old times.

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
Jack woke up early the next day, or at least that's what he thought until he heard someone exclaiming in a very loud voice.

  
  
It didn't sound like either Kimiko or Raimundo or even Dojo, but Jack decided to get up anyway to see what was going on.  
  
He put on his jacket and his shoes, both laid neatly near his bed, and fumbled around for his googles.

  
  
Ten minutes after finding the googles and brushing his teeth ~~\--~~ because evil had no time for cavities ~~\--~~ Jack followed the voices through the big house.  
  
The Baileys' house was very impressive, Jack thought, but what really knocked it out of him were the family photos placed everywhere in the living room.

There were photos everywhere of Clay with his siblings and his parents.

Photos of them smiling, photos of them at the ranch, photos of them at particularly southern events.  
  
Clay looked happy, and so did his siblings, which struck Jack as a little odd until he remembered that Clay never went to the Xiaolin temple.  
  
He judged that the cowboy probably had enough time to work out his issues with his siblings, if they rose at all in the first place.  
  
Jack's trailed over the photos and settled at Clay's parents.

They looked relaxed, more relaxed than Jack remembered seeing tnem ~~\--~~ well Clay's father anyway.  
  
Jack never met his mother, but he judged from the photo that she is a happy, dynamic woman. He also judged from a couple of the items in the living room that she was Vietnamese.  
  
Well, he was pretty positive after spotting the flag.

  
Jack attempted to make his way to the kitchen, but he couldn't move.

For some reason, he felt incredibly uneasy about seeing the family's reaction if Clay accepted the offer.  
  
His family seemed _happy_ here.  
  
Guilty, Jack remembered the other Dragons and their family goodbyes.  
  
Kimiko had openly and shamelessly cried and later on glared at Jack, daring him to bring it up.   
  
While Raimundo, who had previously said that he wasn't that affected, couldn't speak at all after they all gave him their blessing and when he did, his voice sounded thick with tears.      
  
  
Lost in thought, Jack didn't hear Clay walk in.  
  
"Whatchu' doing there, partner?"  
  
"Uh, nothing, just, uh", Jack said, not finding the right words. "Your mom's pretty."  
  
Clay smiled, as he looked at the photo too.

"She is. And she's also the toughest arm wrestler this side of Texas!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"'Course", Clay said, waving his arm around. "Knocks 'em down faster than green grass through a goose."  
  
"Okay", Jack said, trying to deflect the vivid image. "Where are the others?"  
  
"Having breakfast. C'mon, you must be starving yourself."  
  
  
  
Jack followed Clay to the kitchen, stomach grumbling as if telling him to hurry up.  
  
He sat at the breakfast table and helped himself to some eggs.  
  
"Good morning", Dojo said, drinking a mug full of coffee. "Rest well?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I'm a rose in bloom."  
  
The others, who had paused what they were doing to hear if he was okay, went back to their own activities.

  
Raimundo and Jessie, who still kept the biker cowgirl style in this dimension, were talking about the new movie based on the Goo Zombies game series, while Kimiko was cutting up a pair of jeans into shorts.  
  
"I'm just saying", Kimiko said, scissors pausing. "I'm against this film franchise and I will remain so until my dying days."  
  
"Why?", Jessie asked, scrunching up her nose. "They didn't tell your daddy about it?"  
  
"No, they did", Kimiko answered. "It's just ~~\--~~ would it have killed them if they hired Japanese actors? The game is literally set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo!"  
  
Clay, who had sat down near Jack, commented on something entirely different.  
  
"Little lady, you cut those shorts any shorter and we'll be able to see Christmas!"  
  
Kimiko looked up from the jeans and gave Raimundo and Jessie a questioning look.  
  
"What is he saying?"  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "I got no idea. I know  _English_."  
  
"He just said your shorts are too skimpy", Jessie said, rolling her eyes at Raimundo's comment.  
  
With a petty look, Kimiko looked Clay dead in the eye and cut more fabric off.  
  
"So, uh", Clay said, trying not to look as intimidated as he felt. "Now that your friend is fine and dandy, can we talk about the temple thing?"  
  
"What's there to talk about", Raimundo said. " _Dojo_ already told you everything."  
  
"I said I'm sorry!"  
  
"What are we supposed to do with sorry?"  
  
"Fine, fine. Next Dragon, you two get to do the talking."  
  
"Fellas", Jessie interjected. "This conversation is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine."  
  
Raimundo shrugged and Dojo began giving an abridged version of the Xiaolin cause.

 

After he was done, Kimiko added. "Please make up your mind soon, the heat's too much here."  
  
"That's not heat; that's humidity", Clay said, defensively.  
  
He ignored Kimiko's disbelieving expression, and focused on Dojo.  
  
"I do notice some things with Earth ~~\--~~ I got the urge to kick around the ranch a lot when I was younger."  
  
Jessie took a sip of her ice tea. "It's also why you rendered a few feet of the ranch infertile, jus' saying."  
  
"You know I didn't mean to do that, Jess."  
  
"Yeah", Jessie said. "So does Patty, but that doesn't mean he wasn't traumatized when he saw what you did to that patch of land."  
  
The bickering went on for a while, with the Dragon-fetching gang watching with vague interest.  
  
The bickering ended with a funny, more than a little disturbing, anecdote about their Granny Lilly, which left everyone quiet and trying to process some of the more obscure southern sayings.  
  
"So", Raimundo began, drawing out the word. "Is that a yes or..?"  
  
Clay and Jessie shared a look.  
  
"Well", Clay said, scratching his chin. "I reckon we'll have to stay until my Mama and Daddy come back home."  
  
"Yeah, they're not very fond of runaways", Jessie said, with an iffy tone. "Trust me I should know."  
  
Jack looked around, just noticing that they were the only ones in the house.  
  
"Where _are_ your parents anyway?"  
  
"They're picking up our little brother Patty from boarding school", Clay answered, proudly. "Patty is really smart ~~\--~~ he's a tech genius!"  
  
"Really now?", Kimiko said, disinterestedly.  
  
"Yeah, he also once beat that Goo Zombies game, the fifth one I think, in fifteen minutes!"  
  
Now Kimiko was interested. " _Really now_?"  
  
"When are your parents coming back?", Dojo asked.  
  
"They'll come back by sundown", came an old scraggly voice.

The gang turned around, some more quickly than others, to see an extremely old man standing in the kitchen doorway.  
  
They were more than a little shocked to see him, partially because there wasn't any indication that anyone else was in the house.  
  
And partially because he was really old and he had let himself go so much he resembled a zombie ~~\--~~ shabby green-hued skin and everything.  
  
Raimundo, who was the first to spot Grandpappy Arthur, decided to rely on his instincts.  
  
Jessie and Clay ran to the very old man sprawled on the kitchen floor.  
  
Clay wasn't sure what expression to settle on as he turned to face Raimundo.  
  
"Partner, you've got two seconds to explain why you dropkicked Grandpappy Arthur."  
  
"He _literally_ looks like a zombie! How was I supposed to know he's your family?"  
  
"Hey", Jessie said, defensively. "Everyone looks shabby at this age ~~\--~~ I'd like to see how well you keep yourself when you're a 130, pretty boy!"  
  
Raimundo was indignant. "Pretty boy isn't an insult!"  
  
"You know", Kimiko said, vaguely taking her fellow Dragon's side. "Rai might have jumped to conclusion that your grandfather is a zombie a little quickly _but_ weird things always happen in the south."  
  
Clay raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"  
  
"Children of the Corn", Kimiko began.  
  
Raimundo nodded. "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."  
  
"Cabin Fever."  
  
"Halloween."  
  
"Blair Witch."  
  
"The Hills Have ~~\--~~ "  
  
"I reckon you made your point", Clay said, deadpan.  
  
Jessie just shook her head. "Hollywood just loves givin' us a bad name."  
  
"You think?", Clay said, sarcastically. "C'mon, Grandpappy, let's get you to bed and away from the wannabe Buffy the Zombie Slayer."  
  
  
  
  
Grandpappy Arthur, no matter how much pain he was in, was as accurate as clockwork.

  
The sun had barely set when the doorbell rang, announcing Clay's parents.  
  
Jessie answered the door and the family headed to the living room, where the rest of the gang was sitting in anticipation.  
  
Clay introduced them, a little nervously.  
  
"Ma, Daddy; these are the people we called you about ~~\--~~ "  
  
"You mean the pale boy who Betsy gave a concussion and his friends?", Daddy Bailey interrupted.  
  
"Yeah, uh. So that's Jack Spicer, Raimundo Pedrosa, and Kimiko Tohomiko, and this little fella is Dojo."

The gang said little polite hellos and the parents nodded a little and said hellos of their own.  
  
Clay looked relieved that his father didn't show any signs of apprehension.

He continued. "And this is my daddy ~~~~."  
  
"Pleasure to meet y'all", Daddy Bailey said, tipping his hat.  
  
"And that's my mama."  
  
Clay's mother smiled. "Call me Auntie Tam, none of that Mrs. Bailey stuff."  
  
Clay shook his head and turned to the last family member, standing with his bags.  
  
"And that's my baby brother, Patty."  
  
The little brother, the only one who looked anything like his mother, rolled his eyes.  
  
 "It's Patrick, actually. And I'm only three years younger than him."  
  
Auntie Tam smiled and gave Patrick a non-missed small glare. "Clay mentioned you wanted to talk to us about something?"  
  
"Yes we do", Dojo began, ignoring the shocked gasped from Clay's parents and brother. "Your son is the Xiaolin Dragon of Earth."

Patrick reacted first. "Say what now?"  
  
Dojo began explaining the entire ordeal again, ignoring this time the groans that came from Kimiko and Jack, who were hearing his speech for what felt like the fiftieth time.  
  
"Why didn't he bring that digital presentation he was talking about?", Kimiko whined. "At least the special effects would have been cool."  
  
All whining stopped when Kimiko got to show her party trick.  
  
Auntie Tam was impressed, for one, though she had a really worried expression on soon after.  
  
"Raimundo, dear, you don't have to do that knife trick."  
  
"Nah, Auntie, I insist."  
  
  
  
After the mildly dangerous knife-throwing bit was over, Clay's parents took a moment to think about it outside.  
  
"Whaddya think they'll say?", Patrick asked.  
  
"Auntie Tam will agree", Kimiko said while sending a text. "It's very obvious that she's less hard headed than your dad."  
  
Realizing that the Bailey siblings were glaring at her, Kimiko looked up from her phone.

"No offense."  
  
Jessie titled her head. "Y'know aside from the insult, I'm with Soda Girl on that one. Who wants to bet on it?"  
  
"What's the point", Patrick grumbled. "That's a lost bet from the get go; Daddy _is_ hard headed."  
  
  
Daddy Bailey and Auntie Tam came into the living room after approximately ten minutes according to Jack's watch.  
  
"I, for one", Auntie Tam began. "Have no problem with this ~~\--~~ as long as you make sure to take college classes. You hear me, Clay Wakefield Bailey?"  
  
Clay grimaced at the use of his middle name, but nodded.  
  
Feeling victorious, Jack decided to butt in.  
  
"Alright! We'll just take Clay and that", Jack said, pointing at the Star Hanabi proudly wrapped around Daddy Bailey's neck. "And go."  
  
"You want to take the Lone Star, boy?", Daddy Bailey asked, eyes widening at the disrespect.  
  
Patrick decided to fill in. "The Lone Star was passed in the Bailey family for generations, from father to eldest son."  
  
"Daddy", Clay said, not liking being in the crossfire. "The Lone Star is a Sheng Gong Wu. It's sorta important."  
  
" _Sorta_?", Daddy Bailey said, indignantly. "It _is_ important, boy. And if you want it, you'll have to earn it."  
  
Daddy Bailey looked Clay dead in the eye.  
  
"And if you earn the Lone Star then, and only then, you'll get to go to China!"  
  
Auntie Tam sighed.

"Abel, sweetheart, don't you think that's a bit...much?"  
  
"No, it isn't", Daddy Bailey answered stubbornly. "All Bailey men and women go through a rite of passage and it's time Clay did the same."  
  
Jack bit back a complaint.

Somehow he knew it was better he ask Raimundo to borrow some pyjamas instead.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
"Rise and shine, Stalker Boy."  
  
Groaning, Jack turned over on his side. "What time is it?"  
  
"Six a.m."  
  
"Then why are you talking to me?"  
  
Kimiko scoffed. "Clay's rite of passage thing is after breakfast."  
  
Jack sighed and pulled himself out of bed.

He needed to change anyway. Raimundo's pyjamas were not very comfortable.  
  
He looked around the guest room he shared with the aforementioned boy.

"Where the hell did he go?"  
  
"Oh, Rai's taking a shower", Kimiko said with a mischievous smirk. "Real heavy sleeper, that one. Jessie had to drench him with a jug full of water so he would wake up."  
  
That seemed about right, Jack thought.  
  
Raimundo was a very heavy sleeper that he once missed an _entire_ showdown.  
  
Shrugging it off, Jack turned to Kimiko.

"Can you get out so I can change then?"  
  
 "Fine", she said, already on her way. 

She was halfway through the door before she added. "And put on some sunscreen ~~\--~~ I'm _not_ spending the entire ride to China listening to you moan about getting sunburned."

 

  
  
After a very delicious breakfast served by Patrick, who declared proudly that he had an uncanny culinary talent, the gang headed to the fields for the rite of passage.  
  
  
"Hey, you got any sunscreen?", Jack asked Jessie.  
  
She looked him up and down; not condescendingly, just surprised.  
  
"You didn't put _any_ on?"  
  
"Well, no, I forgot."  
  
Kimiko overheard him apparently because the next thing Jack knew she was standing near him, with a smug smile.

"I don't want to say it", she began. "But I _did_ tell you so."  
  
She took out a sunscreen bottle out of her back pocket. "Even _I_ walk around with sunscreen and I never get burned!"  
  
Jack whined as he applied the sunscreen.

"That's hardly fair."  
  
"Gotta love not being white and at a constant risk of burns", Patrick said, high-fiving Kimiko.  
  
"Patty, you _did_ get burned that one time though", Jessie said.  
  
Patrick rolled his eyes. "I get burned one time out of ten; you get burned nine times out of ten, sis."  
  
Jessie just rolled his eyes at him and focused her eyes on the pasture ahead.

  
  
They'd all been standing, waiting nervously for Daddy Bailey to show up.  
  
Clay was the most nervous of all, which seemed a little weird to Jack. He'd always taken the word stoic to new levels sometimes.  
  
"We bought lemonade", Auntie Tam announced, as she walked in carrying a beverage tray.  
  
Raimundo followed her, carrying another tray.

"And we've got cookies too ~~\--~~ chocolate chip, I think."  
  
Kimiko, Jessie, and Dojo helped themselves to the snacks, while Patrick just shook his head, eyes focused on Clay.  
  
Auntie Tam was thinking the same thing because she was walking up to him now.  
  
"Clay, honey, you're gonna do fine."  
  
Clay smiled, but his nervous weren't less bundled. "I know, I know, it's just Daddy's ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Right on time", Daddy Bailey said, boisterously. "Make me proud, son."

  
  
Daddy Bailey took only five minutes to explain the rite of passage, but it took Clay and the others about five more to process it.  
  
"You want me to stop a cow stampede", Clay repeated for the third time. "By myself?"  
  
Daddy Bailey was getting impatient now.

"Yes, son, did you not hear me?"  
  
He walked off to get something from the house and left the gang speechless.  
  
"Wow", Raimundo said after a while. "The toughest thing my dad had us do was trick him at his own game ~~\--~~ and he was a magician, so that was hard enough!"  
  
Jack, along with everybody else, gave Raimundo a weird look.  
  
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I hope you didn't think my dad was an astrophysicist when you hit me up at the circus."  
  
"Nobody thought he was a _magician_ either", Kimiko said.  
  
"He used to do the Globe of Death originally but then they got a younger person to do it...really got him into quite the midlife crisis ~~-~~ "  
  
Daddy Bailey returned and interrupted Raimundo mid-sentence with a cough.  
  
"You ready, son? I'm gonna release the cows now."  
  
"No, Daddy", Clay said, in a final tone. "I'm not gonna do that."  
  
"So", Daddy Bailey said, triumphantly. "You gave up and realized you were wrong?"  
  
"No", Clay said, shaking his head. "I'm just not about to go around my behind to get to my elbow."  
  
"Excuse me, boy!"  
  
"Daddy, that'll cause more harm than good and you know that ~~\--~~ I'm not about to destroy the ranch to pass a test."  
  
Daddy Bailey squinted at him. "Then you won't get the Lone Star."  
  
Clay shrugged. "If I don't get it, I don't get it. I'm going anyway, with or without it."  
  
Daddy Bailey gave Clay an appraising look and put his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit", Daddy Bailey began. "You really _did_ grow up!"  
  
Clay blushed a little at the compliment.

"Was raised by the best, sir."  
  
Daddy Bailey untied the Star Hanabi from around his neck, looked at for a few seconds, and finally handed it to Clay.  
  
He closed his son's hand firmly around the Wu.  
  
"This belongs to you now, son", Daddy Bailey said, smiling. "Take care of it or I'll be on you faster than a knife fight in a phone booth!"  
  
Kimiko sighed contendly, and whispered to Raimundo.  
  
"That would've been so sweet if it wasn't so country."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought Raimundo is sort of an astrology nerd because every friend group has at least one. 
> 
> And I enjoy the idea of Clay having a non-white stepmother and half-brother


	6. New Monks on the Block

 

Ashley ~~\--~~ well, Katnappe in this outfit ~~\--~~ sighed as she watched Jack and his ragtag Xiaolin team fly off on their dragon. 

 

"So", she began, giving the purple ghost hovering over her shoulder a side-glance. "They have the Star Hanabi."

  
Wuya wasn't phased. "Indeed they do."  
  
Ashley didn't even bother hiding her annoyance.  
  
"If you just let me go after them in there, I would've had it in a second ~~\--~~ might have gotten rid of those...people you don't like too."   
  
"For the fifth time, Katnappe", Wuya said, sighing. " _These people_ are called the Xiaolin Dragons and they have the potential to ruin our plans."  
  
The ghost paused. "After they go through some training, anyway."  
  
Ashley stared at Wuya for two whole seconds before her expression switched from annoyance to disbelief.  
  
"So you're telling me that these monks ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Dragons", Wuya corrected.  
  
"Whatever. You're saying that they're sorta your mortal enemies and you just _let them go_ when they were unsuspecting and vulnerable?"  
  
Wuya looked thoughtful.  
  
"Yes, I did, though I suppose calling them mortal enemies is a misnomer. Some animositys transcend lifetimes, you know."  
  
Ashley face-palmed. "And _you_ are going to make me rule the world?"  
  
Wuya's mask was static but she still gave the impression of exasperation.  
  
"Sadly, I _always_ keep my promises", she answered. "And don't fret; a Heylin witch always has a plan."  
  
Ashley rolled her eyes and started walking back to her jet.  
  
"This _better_ be worth cancelling that Russian massage."

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
It took Jack and the soon-to-be monks barely an hour to get back to the temple.

  
Dojo said, very unconvincingly, that the only reason he sped up was that hearty Texan breakfast, but Jack knew that wasn't the case.  
  
The dragon was simply just excited to show the dragons to the masters, namely one Master Fung.  
  
  
"Hurry, hurry", Dojo yelled as he ushered the gang, Jack unincluded, into the temple. "Go to the tea room!"  
  
Clay looked confused, which was understandable as the newest arrival, and glanced at his teammates.  
  
Kimiko shrugged. "We don't understand him much yet. Just do it."  
  
The two followed Raimundo, who was already racing to temple and saying something about the bathroom.

Jack scoffed. "Could you at least pretend to be less excited?"  
  
"No can do, kid", Dojo said, still lightly bouncing in the air. "I've been waiting for this moment for four years ~~\--~~ I'm not even angry that we don't have the Water Dragon right now."  
  
Dojo flew to the temple. "Three out of four!"  
  
Jack followed him, uneasily.

He wasn't so sure what the monks' teacher would say to him when he found out he knew next to nothing about Omi's whereabouts.  
  
Sighing, Jack realized his mission was far from over.  
  
He was contemplating how big China was when he heard a twig snap near him.  
  
Turning around slowly, Jack tried a brave face on.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
No one answered.  
  
"This is the Xiaolin temple, you know, they can kick your ass into tomorrow with their pinkies", Jack said, trembling.  
  
For some reason, the uneasiness increased as a foreboding, sticky sort of presence made itself clearer.  
  
Jack had half a mind to investigate, but then again, he had always been a bit of a smart coward.  


  
It turned out that Master Fung didn't even have enough energy to be disappointed with Jack.  
  
He apparently used it all up to talk with the temple's newest additions.  
  
Jack found Master Fung and the dragons at the room that they would be living in.  
  
  
"For the last time, Raimundo", Master Fung said. "The temple cannot order you a mattress."  
  
Raimundo started protesting. "But ~~\--~~ "   
  
"Please, do not wear off the relaxing influence of the tea I just had."  
  
Sighing, Raimundo turned to Clay and Kimiko.  
  
"You'd think that after eight years of sleeping in a coffin, I'd finally get a real bed."  
  
Kimiko took a step back. "The lairs we uncover off you truly are astounding."

"Oh no, no", Raimundo said, realizing how bad that must have sounded. "That's just what we call our beds in the circus ~~\--~~ they're way too small and..."  
  
He paused and took a deep breath.  
  
"I'd like to confirm that I did _not_ sleep in a coffin except for that one time one of my friends dared me to."  
  
"Yeah", Clay said, unconvinced. "Anyway....Master Fung, can we call our parents to ship some of our stuff here? We didn't get to pack much."  
  
"You can, young monks", Master Fung began. "Although I cannot, for the life of me, begin to imagine how your things will fit in with all of Kimiko's bags already in."  
  
Dojo was scandalized. "Was _that_ why you had me right down our address?!"  
  
Jack looked at Kimiko to see her standing her ground with an expression of someone who has done no wrong.  
  
 "What?", she said when she noticed Clay and Raimundo giving her unsavory looks. "It's just clothes...and a few other things."  
  
Raimundo wasn't backing down. "I thought rich people liked the whole minimalism thing."  
  
"I hope you're not calling me a _hoarder_."  
  
"What if I am?"  
  
"Look, I like you, but you can take that ~~\--~~ "  
  
Master Fung coughed, commanding attention.  
  
"I recommend you do not start your life as Xiaolin warriors by fighting, young monks."  
  
The fighting duo shared a look. "Sorry, Master Fung."  
  
"Besides", the old master said, with a hint of a smile. "There will be more room once Kimiko moves some of her stuff to the storage room."  
  
Kimiko huffed, but seemed in general agreement, so Master Fung added.  
  
"I do suggest you put the winter clothes away for now."  
  
The old master walked away, but not before telling the monks to be done unpacking by lunchtime.  
  
"So, uh, what do you think of your room?", Jack asked.  
  
He got no response, mostly because the three Dragons whipped their heads around at the same time at Dojo.  
  
"Dojo", Kimiko began in a leveled tone. "What did he mean by ' _monks_ '?"  
  
Raimundo crossed his arms. "Yeah, you told us were dragons?"  
  
"Yes", Dojo said, exasperatedly. "And don't worry, there aren't any rules about not dating."  
  
The three sighed with relief.  
  
"Oh, thank God", Clay said. "That would've been one sorry conversation I'd have had to have with Isaac."

 

* * *

 

  
  
Jack was walking around one of the temple gardens alone when someone interrupted him.  
  
"Stalker Boy!"  
  
He turned around and greeted Kimiko with a groan. "Please, don't make that into a thing."  
  
"If you don't like that nickname, you should've had lunch with us", Kimiko said, grinning. "We came up with a bunch of nicknames for you."  
  
Jack grimaced, a few of the nicknames they came up with for him coming to mind.  
  
"No, I'm good. Did you want something?"  
  
"Well", Kimiko began, unnecessarily stretching the word. "Since you're the only universe hopper I know ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Dimension", Jack interjected.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever ~~\--~~ is anything on between me and circus boy there?"  
  
"You're into him", Jack said, confirming a theory everyone had thought of at some point.  
  
Kimiko crossed her arms.  
  
"He's the kind of guy I would give my real number to", Kimiko began. "Which I know is weird because _no one_ should make cargo pants look that good."  
  
"So _that's_ why you never text me back", Jack realized.  
  
"Wise choice on my other self's part, don't you think?", Kimiko said, sarcastically. "So?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "Well, everyone stopped wondering about that a long time ago."  
  
Kimiko perked up. "Because it's really obvious?"  
  
"Because at this point we're all too scared to ask", Jack corrected. "And you're not exactly a person who's very open about their personal life."  
  
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I asked for the opinion of someone who wouldn't know a good dye job if it hit them."  
  
"Hey", Jack protested, fixing some of his hair spikes. "I was just trying to go three shades over my natural color!"  
  
Kimiko then said a very unsavory sentence and coupled it with a very unsavory gesture, both of which Jack ignored as he went on with his walk. 

Jack was in the middle of considering whether or not to ask how inter-dimensional tracking works on the online Heylin forum, when he felt someone standing behind him.  
  
"Kimiko", Jack said, as he turned to face her. "I'm not going to say anything else about my dimension so ~~\--~~ "  
  
  
Kimiko wasn't standing behind him.  
  
In fact, whoever stood behind wasn't a person at all.

It was Dashi. Again.    
  
"Please, don't tell me you're here to yell at me again?", Jack whined. "I got you three-fourths of your Xiaolin chumps."  
  
Dashi held up a hand to stop him. "You better hold your horses then because I'm not."  
  
Jack was a little surprised. "You're not?"  
  
"I'm not", Dashi confirmed, ghostly form flickering a little.  
  
There was a little pause.  
  
"So how're you feeling?"  
  
Sucker-punched, Jack took a few steps away from the ghost. " _Excuse_ _me_?"  
  
"See, usually people answer that question by saying they're fine or something or the other", Dashi said, tsk-ing a little.  
  
Jack held his hands open, gesturing speechlessly. "Wha ~~\--~~ who ~~\--~~ the fuck, dude?!"  
  
Dashi frowned. "Language, boy!"  
  
"Oh, yeah", Jack said, deflating. "Sorry, I ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Got you there, didn't I?", Dashi said with shit-eating grin on his face. "You're lucky it's my ghost and not the Grand Master before me. He was a _pain_ in the ass!"  
  
"Is there a point to any of this?"  
  
Dashi nodded. "Yes, I asked you a question and I expect an answer."  
  
Jack sighed. Apparently he really was going to do this.  
  
"Well, I guess I'm good. Like, I'm not sure, though ~~\--~~ Dojo and I found three of the Dragons but..."  
  
"But what?", Dashi asked, confused. "Three Dragons are a lot of reasons to celebrate!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
" _Totally_! Back in my day, not all Dragons made it to the temple", Dashi began. "And there were some that honestly shouldn't have made it."  
  
Jack nodded in understanding. "Like Chase Young."  
  
"What? No", Dashi said. "Chase's arrival and side-switching were set in stone. Always happened no matter how many times we tried to change the timeline."  
  
That was _new_.  
  
"You mean you tried to change the universe too?", Jack asked, trying to wrap his head around it.  
  
Dashi rolled his eyes. "What do you think the Sands of Time were created for?"  
  
"So you knew that Chase Young was supposed to be an evil dragon king ~~\--~~ "  
  
"He prefers to call himself the Prince of Darkness actually."  
  
"Whatever", Jack said, ignoring the feeling of blasphemy. "You _knew_ that one of your fellow Dragons was supposed to switch sides all along and you never mentioned it?"  
  
Dashi shrugged. "I did leave a note after the third hundredth and final try, but maybe it got lost, who knows?"  
  
"Omi literally went _back in time_ to talk to you and you never told him that!"  
  
Dashi looked very serious now. "All dragons should be allowed to make mistakes."  
  
Jack scoffed. "Even when they're world-ending ones?"  
  
" _Especially_ when they're world-ending ones", Dashi insisted. "That way they can learn and grow."  
  
Jack crossed his arms, unconvinced, while Dashi just sighed.  
  
"Look, Jack, Omi would have went ahead with his plan even if I told him the outcome."  
  
"Omi would never do that ~~\--~~ you're his idol, you're _Grand Master Dashi!_ "  
  
Dashi nodded. "I'm aware of that, but it's still a fact. The relationship between him and Chase is just to deep for me to interfere with ~~\--~~ and you _do not_ want to see the timeline where I did."  
  
Having a feeling that that part was true, Jack took his word for it.   
  
He still couldn't shake off the feeling that Dashi wasn't just chatting with him for the hell of it.  
  
The Grand Master's ghost seemed to be trying to make a point with his story.  
  
Dashi particularly stressed on the fact that three dragons were more than enough.

He also seemed particular about mentioning that not everyone was supposed to come to the temple.

"I hope you're not saying we won't get Omi to the temple", Jack started, dread rising in the pit of his stomach. "Because we ~~\--~~ they need the guy! You saw what happened in the dimension when he froze himself!"  
  
Dashi interrupted him before he went any further. "That's the exact opposite of what I'm saying."  
  
"...But that's exactly what you hinted at?"  
  
"No, it isn't", Dashi said. "I said that not everyone is _supposed_ to be here, and yet they are."  
  
The Grand Master's focused stare lingered on Jack a little making him feel see-through.  
  
Jack hoped Dashi really wasn't hinting at what he thought he was.

He was about to protest when the ghost cut in.  
  
"I know that part might have riled you up, Jack", Dashi began. "But you need to keep it in mind when, and if, you see Omi."  
  
Jack just stared at him confused. "Is it a requirement to be as cryptic as possible to be a Master?"  
  
Dashi sighed and said in a voice that left little to discuss.  
  
 "Things happen, but some of those are _necessary_ and some aren't. Remember that, Jack Spicer."  
  
Jack gave Dashi his back. "I still don't get what you're saying, but it sounds like you think I'm against Omi coming back."  
  
He paused and took a deep breath. The next part was going to be hard to say.  
  
"I'm not, I'm really not", Jack said, playing with his thumbs. "Look, I don't see eye-to-eye with the monks half ~~\--~~ well, most of the time, but I can't imagine not fighting the four of them together. It's ju ~~\--~~ "  
  
There was no Grand Master Dashi when Jack turned.  
  
"Really, dude? Not even a decent goodbye?"

 

* * *

  
  
  
The next day after breakfast, Jack lounged at the monks' room, eyeing them as the looked through their temple clothes.

  
Master Fung wasn't in any rush to begin their training, a fact Jack found surprising.  
  
"Dragons train together", Master Fung had said. "Or not at all. We shall wait for the last Dragon."  
  
The monks had appreciated the sentiment, mostly because they were extremely tired, a little jetlagged, and still getting used to the temple.  
  
  
"Looks pretty solid there", Clay said, thoroughly inspecting the robes. "Would look even purtier with my boots."  
  
Raimundo had given up on the robes a while ago, opting to play with Kimiko's new Goo Zombies instead.  
  
"Not how accessorizing works, cowboy", he said, barely taking his eyes off the game.  
  
"Don't recall asking for fashion advice, partner."  
  
Dojo, perched on Clay's hat, hadn't left the monks ever since they landed.  
  
Currently, the dragon was observing the moment with absolute joy, delight, and a polaroid camera.  
  
"Your first robes", Dojo commented after a while, as he held a couple of the photos in his claws. "I think I'm going to cry!"  
  
"Please don't", Jack said.  
  
Dojo turned to Jack. "For your information, wise guy ~~\--~~ "  
  
"How do I look?"  
  
The three boys and the dragon turned to see Kimiko standing in the doorway, dressed in her Dragon robes.  
  
"You look like a million dollars", Clay offered, still haunted by the Shorts Incident from two days ago.  
  
Raimundo agreed. "You look good, don't sweat it."  
  
"Isn't it a little tight?", Kimiko asked, with a face that told them she didn't trust their opinions. "I was hoping for the next size up and maybe give it a little dress-type flair."  
  
Remembering the first couple of years before the promtion and the black robe, Jack smiled.  
  
"Maybe some tights too?"  
  
Kimiko made an uncertain gesture. "Maybe if I was thirteen, but I think I'll just stick with the pants for now."  
  
Dojo nodded, agreeing with her. "Yeah, I don't even know if the old monks would have agreed with that."  
  
"They did", Jack said in a sing-song voice.  
  
"They did?", Dojo asked, wide-eyed. "That would be a first ~~\--~~ they didn't even let bell-bottoms be a part of the uniform and that was in the 70's!"  
  
"Wise choice", Raimundo said wryly.  
  
Dojo stared at him with no expression. "When you're done making fun, go and put on your robe."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"For the group photo", Dojo said, holding the camera up. "Duh!"

  
Raimundo and Clay both groaned and got up, while Kimiko just sat on her sleeping mat.  
  
"Told you to try them on", she said only to get a couple of very disdainful looks.

  
  
Apparently not training the dragons didn't mean that Master Fung couldn't find other ways to fill their free time.  
  
"Here's the list of chores", he said, interrupting their breakfast. "I have taken the liberty to divide them equally."  
  
Kimiko sighed and set down her tea mug.  
  
"Let's just get it over with, boys."  
  
She headed out the door and the boys got up to follow her, all in various modes of dissent.  
  
"The chores are for the Dragons alone", Master Fung said, stopping Jack dead in his tracks.  
  
"Yippee", Raimundo said with no trace of humor in his voice. "More for us."  
  
Clay dragged Raimundo away before he could make another quip.  
  
The minute the dragons disappeared, Master Fung turned to Jack.  
  
"What's troubling you, young one?"  
  
Jack stifled a groan. What _was_ it with the Xiaolin and asking about his feelings?  
  
"Nothing's troubling me", Jack lied.  
  
Master Fung seemed more exasperated than usual.

"Then I suppose you just walk around radiating worry and unease?"  
  
"Fine", Jack grumbled. "There is one thing troubling me."  
  
"The Water Dragon?"  
  
"If you knew, why ask me?"  
  
Master Fung stroked his beard. "Here at the temple, we prefer to be upfront with our problems. Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."  
  
"That's beautiful", Jack said, without any hint of malice. "Seriously, but the thing is...it's not about honesty."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"It's sorta about worry and, and fear. You see, I don't know if Dojo told you but ~~\--~~ "  
  
"You know next to nothing about the Water Dragon."  
  
Jack tried to be as respectful as possible while being iffy.  
  
"Seriously, if you know what I'm about to say, at least save me the trouble of saying it."  
  
Master Fung let out a hint of a smile. "I am sorry for that, Jack. It happens to be a fun habit."  
  
"Yeah, I could tell", Jack said. "And I know stuff about the Water Dragon, I just don't know how to find him."  
  
Master Fung sat on one of the futons and gestured Jack to do the same.  
  
"What do you know about the Dragon?"  
  
Jack scratched his head. "I know he's the youngest of the bunch, and he's afraid of squirrels for some reason, and he _can_ be quite naive. He also grew up in the temple ~~\--~~ "  
  
"He was raised here?", Master Fung asked, a little surprised.  
  
"Yeah, du ~~\--~~ Master Fung. In fact, _you_ raised him."  
  
"I did?", Master Fung asked. "Do you happen to know how old the Water Dragon is?"  
  
"Well, he's four years younger than Cl ~~\--~~ one of the Dragons", Jack said with a little stammer; no one needed to know how much he knew about Clay. "So that makes him around fourteen."  
  
"I see", Master Fung said, nodding resignedly as if what he suspected was true. "Follow me, Jack."  
  
"Why? What happened?", Jack asked, hoping that nothing went horribly wrong.  
  
"You will see for yourself", Master Fung said as he led the way.

  
  
Master Fung took him to a remote room in the temple.  
  
The room was boarded up, which took Master Fung all of three minutes to undo.  
  
The old master went in and Jack followed, all dread replaced by a slight foreboding.  
  
The room was a simple guest room, it seemed, with nothing out of the ordinary.  
  
It had a sleeping mat, a small nightstand, and nothing else really, but it still shone with a familiar energy, which Jack would notice in about thirty seconds.  
  
Currently, all Jack could focus on was the state of the room.  
  
It was dusty, but not the regular kind of dusty that would be normally found in the temple.

It seemed to have been dusty for a really long time, as if being maintained.  
  
"This room", Master Fung began. "Witnessed a very special guest fourteen years ago."  
  
"Who was it?", Jack asked, knowing fully well who it was.  
  
"A pregnant woman", Master Fung answered. "She seemed to be in the last stages of her pregnancy and also appeared to be quite lost."  
  
"Lost?"  
  
"Yes, she showed up in an unwholesome state ~~\--~~ drenched by rain, worn by the journey, exhausted by the road."  
  
Master Fung paused to look around the room again, seeming a little in disbelief.  
  
"It all feels a little uncanny now, but back then when the woman was resting in this room, something extremely strange happened: Dragon essence."  
  
Jack hadn't heard that term before. "Dragon essence?"  
  
Master Fung nodded. "It's the energy the Xiaolin Dragons radiate, and it was right here in this very room."  
  
He paused.  
  
"We considered ourselves lucky and honored that one of the Dragons found us before we attempted to find them", Master Fung reminisced.

He paused a little. "We all anticipated the birth, but two days later the woman had all but disappeared."  
  
"She _disappeared_?"  
  
"Left in the exact way she came. No master knew how to find her either; she left no name."  
  
Jack felt himself deflating further. "This is just hopeless then. She left nothing at all?"  
  
Master Fung shook his head and knelt beside the nightstand.  
  
He opened the first drawer and took a thick, dusty book out and handed it to Jack.  
  
Jack's first reaction was the sensation of being pranked. "You have to be kidding me!"  
  
In his hands, Jack was holding an old favorite of Omi's ~~\--~~ the Ancient Guide to Females.  
  
Master Fung gave Jack a look. "I hardly see this as a joking matter, Jack."  
  
Jack didn't respond.  
  
He was busy remembering the last time he had seen the cursed book, which was when he was caught in the crossfire while attempting to raid the temple vault.  
  
 It involved Kimiko in full Human Torch mode, the cursed book, and a running Omi.

Jack was hardly proud of some of his screams.  
  
Taking the silence as a sign to continue, Master Fung added.

"The woman wasn't very talkative due to her tired state, but she did mention that this was one of her favorite satirical books by her father."  
  
" _Father_?", Jack asked a little surprised. He turned the book one its sides, looking for a name.  
  
"The author's name is Hui Jin", Master Fung said, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Right, I knew that", Jack said, unconvincingly. "I was just looking at the cover, it's, uh...very intricately designed."

 

 

Jack went to the Dragons' room after lights out to share the information.  
  
"That sounds like a hero movie premise gone wrong", Kimiko said after Jack was done. "You know the kind of movie that has ' _chosen_ _ones_ '?"  
  
Clay was confused. "Why are you putting air-quotes around chosen ones, Kim. That _is_ what we are."  
  
Kimiko shrugged. "It's still a little weird."  
  
"No kidding", Raimundo said, unfocused. "So that woman is the mother of the last Dragon boy?"  
  
"Are you sure it's not a girl?", Kimiko asked hopefully. "Please tell me there's a fifty percent chance it's a girl."  
  
Jack pitied Kimiko, really.  
  
Going from a family where the only man was her father to a temple where the only woman for miles was just her must be horrible.  
   
Still, he couldn't lie about that. "No. Sorry, Kimiko."  
  
Kimiko sighed. "Figures ~~\--~~ that's just the cherry on top of a _perfect_ day."  
  
"I told you I didn't mean to drench you with that water bucket", Raimundo said, a little exasperated. "It was an accident!"  
  
She glared and hit him in the face with a pillow.  
  
"It was _sewer water_ and those", she pointed at the drippy shoes she set on the corner of the room that gets sunniest in the morning to dry. "Were custom-made _Kenzo_."  
  
Raimundo stuffed the pillow she threw at him behind his back. "I said I was sorry! I was going for Clay but he ducked!"  
  
"How in the world is that an apology?", Clay asked, indignantly. "Those are my favorite boots, you varmint!"  
  
"Oh, _varmint_ ", Kimiko said, sarcastically. "Why don't you try scoundrel next maybe that'll stick!"  
  
Jack cut in before the argument could develop.

"Can we just focus on finding Omi?"  
  
The three Dragons shared a look.

"Who?"

 _Oh_ , that's right, Jack remembered. They still had no idea who Omi was.  
  
Jack shook it off. "The Water Dragon."  
  
Kimiko grabbed her phone. "What's the name of that book again?"  
  
"Ancient Guide to Females."  
  
"Scrumptious", Kimiko said, rolling her eyes. "And the author's name was?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "Hui Jin. What are you doin ~~\--~~ "  
  
Kimiko held up finger and gestured to the phone.  
  
Ignoring Jack's exaggerated gasp, she immediately started talking.  
  
Jack only understood the words " _hello_ ", " _papa_ ", and " _I need_ ", but by the time he decided to translate the rest of the conversation online, Kimiko was done.  
  
"My dad's on it."  
  
Raimundo looked at her then at the others, a little disbelieving.

"What did you say your last name was again?"  
  
"Really, dude?", Kimiko asked. "I literally told you my dad invented Goo Zombies, you couldn't figure it out?"  
  
"Just making sure, but if it's what I'm thinking then I've got a new favorite monk", Raimundo said.  
  
Kimiko seemed all in all happy with the new development, but Clay really wasn't.  
  
"Partner, we've barely been here for two days!"

 

* * *

 

  
Ashley took off the hood of her cat suit and stretched.  
  
"Spying missions are so four years ago", she announced, now lying on her bed.  
  
Wuya, who was floating by the window, turned to face the off-duty villain.  
  
"If you invested in some of those tiny microphones instead of genetically altering your teeth, you wouldn't have needed to do it manually."  
  
Ashley checked her teeth in the small mirror by her bed, self-consciously.  
  
"They totally give me an edge, Wuya. You just don't get it, you were literally born more than thousand years ago."  
  
Wuya sighed. "For your information, I have invented nearly all the Heylin trends of the past millennium. But no matter, what did you find out?"  
  
Ashley sat up straight and looked through a phone-like device.

"Well, I found out the Xiaolin team is just Jack, an electronic empire heiress, a cowboy, and a circus freak."  
  
Wuya looked surprised. "That's...intriguing."  
  
"I know", Ashley said, rolling her eyes. " _Dream team_ , right?"  
  
Ashley scrolled a little through the small device.  
  
"They didn't do any actual training, while I was there, so there's really nothing to say."  
  
She paused to scroll more. "Oh yeah, and they're going to look for the last dragon tomorrow."  
  
"Excellent", Wuya said, her mask's eyes gleaming. "That is when we strike and see what they're made of."  
  
Ashley smiled, her newly done sharp feline teeth peeking. "I think you mean it's just _purr_ -fect."  
  
Wuya sighed.  
  
"Do work on your puns beforehand."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is from XC, but for the record, I do not...like it.


	7. Finding Omi

 

 

"Get up, get up! We found the Water Dragon!" 

  
  
That was what Dojo yelled into a sleeping Jack's ear, effectively waking him up.  
  
Jack, who had jolted up in alarm, could feel his heart trying to escape his chest.   
  
"So you try to give me a heart attack?", he asked, getting up and narrowly avoiding slipping on the Ancient Guide to Females.  
  
Dojo ignored him, still drunk on excitement.  
  
"Get dressed and come have breakfast so we can leave!", the dragon exclaimed before leaving the guest room.  
  
Getting off the sleeping mat, Jack sighed and gave the dusty book placed near his pillow a look.  
  
Somehow he felt like it was taunting him before the day started.  


  
  
  
When Jack finally went to the kitchen for breakfast, he only found two of the three Dragons and Dojo having breakfast.  
  
"Where's Kimiko?", he asked, pouring himself a cup of tea.  
  
Clay shrugged. "Getting dressed ~~\--~~ said she was going to take wig inventory too."  
  
Jack nodded before taking a look at the other Dragon sitting near him.  
  
He couldn't believe his eyes, but it looked like Raimundo was scribbling notes that looked suspiciously like physics.  
  
"What are you ~~\--~~ are you doing _homework_?", he asked incredulously.  
  
Raimundo nodded. "Yeah, I got midterms in about a month."  
  
"It's summer though", Clay said, after a beat.  
  
"Not in Brazil, it isn't", Raimundo said, looking deep in thought. "You know what, I'm finishing it when we get back."  
  
He closed his notebook and put it away in a backpack before turning his attention back to the others.  
  
"So you know we found the missing Dragon boy?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Yeah, your friendly neighborhood guardian over there nearly killed me to tell the news."  
  
"You know Kimiko's dad found him in, like, four hours?", Raimundo asked, a little too smug about an action that wasn't even his.  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow and mentally made a note to check how Mr. Tohomiko placed on the list of the world's most powerful men.  
  
Clay got up and placed a few of the empty dishes in the sink.  
  
"Yeah, but apparently it's going to take us four days to get there because this little fella here doesn't want to fly us."  
  
Jack turned to glare at Dojo. "What the hell, dude?"  
  
"Oh _excuse me_ ", Dojo began, gasping at the tone. "But the local travel machine is a little tired after going around the world in three days!"  
  
"That was three days ago!"  
  
"It's not my fault I need time to recuperate!"  
  
Jack was about to yell again but Raimundo interrupted him.

"Morning, Koko."  
  
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Just because I condoned it the first two times doesn't mean I like it."  
  
Jack turned and was about to make a quip at Kimiko not being a morning person, but he was shocked into silence.  
  
Kimiko was dressed weirdly as usual.

 Today, though, had to be the weirdest he's ever seen, what with the overall shorts, mismatched stockings, and the twin braids almost brushing the floor.  
  
"What?", she asked, pouring herself some tea too. "Stalker Boy, you're being extra weird today."  
  
Clay looked pained as he tried to explain. "It might be about what yer wearing, Kim."  
  
"What about what I'm wearing?", Kimiko asked, staring pointedly.  
  
"You look like Pippi Longstocking beat Rapunzel in an alley and took her fifty inch extensions", Raimundo offered.  
  
"Oh...that _was_ the look I was going for", Kimiko said, anger dissipating. "These are twenty inches though."  
  
"Don't mind his numbers", Clay said, jokingly. "He was just done with his _homework_."  
  
Kimiko smirked and high-fived Clay. "Thank God, It's summer for us!"  
  
"You won't be so cocky when it's January and I'm rubbing _my_ summer in both your faces", Raimundo said, a little too cheerfully.  
  
Jack cut off Clay before he could reply.  
  
"Guys, I love witty banter as much as the next guy but we need to get moving."  
  
"Oh, you solved the Dojo thing?", Kimiko asked, busily making a sandwich.  
  
"No", Jack said, turning to face the dragon. "We didn't."  
  
Dojo crossed his arms. "Take the temple car, go on a road trip, make the best of your youth ~~\--~~ me? No flying today."

Raimundo quirked an eyebrow. "The temple has a _car_ but you're against mattresses?"  
  
"Mattresses are overrated", Dojo began, waving it off. "And it's a '78 Mustang."  
  
The kitchen was silent for a few minutes.  
  
"Yeah, I'm not going to be seen in that", Kimiko said finally.  
  
"It's going to break down a lot too, probably", Raimundo agreed.  
  
Dojo scoffed. "It was repaired by the last Metal Dragon herself...over thirty-nine years ago, but _still_!"  
  
"Dojo", Clay pleaded. "It's gonna take us at least three days to get to Beijing and if we go in that car, we're gonna move slower than a herd of turtles."  
  
"Yeah, what the cowboy said", Jack agreed. "It's the very last Dragon, dude!"  
  
Dojo sighed, looking on the verge of relenting.  
  
"Fine, but someone's going to floss my scales when we get back. You won't believe the stuff that gets stuck in there when we're flying!"  
  
Kimiko seemed vaguely disgusted, but she nodded. "Sure, Dojo."  
  
Seeming pleased with himself, Dojo flew to the door, mentioning something about telling Master Fung they were leaving.  
  
As soon as the dragon was out of earshot, Kimiko turned to the boys, her smile long-dropped.  
  
"Not one of the new experiences I was expecting", she said, voice deadpan.  
  


  
  
The flight to Beijing felt more like a a short ride to the mall rather than a flight to another city.  
  
  
Kimiko filled them in as they walked through the city streets.  
  
"Okay so Hui Jin had two daughters; Christy and Jinglei", she began, taking the lead. "Jinglei is the the mother of our Dragon and she's a teacher, I think."  
  
Clay seemed uncertain. "You think?"  
  
"Yeah", she answered. "The info was last updated two months ago."  
  
"So we're looking for a Hui Omi?", Raimundo asked.  
  
"Well, he mostly goes by Omi Badejo", Kimiko said.  
  
Jack didn't comment, deciding to stifle his discomfort instead.  
  
 It felt all a little too weird that the Omi he knew had no last name, yet in this dimension he had two.

Jack tried not to think about it too hard for now, but he felt like something too odd to decipher grow uneasily his stomach.

 

  
  
  
"This is it, team", Dojo announced happily from his perch on Clay's hat. "The final destination!"  
  
Jack grimaced. "Let's not bring a weird horror movie franchise into this. Bad luck."  
  
"Yeah, Dojo", Raimundo agreed. "At least mention a cool movie."  
  
Frowning, Dojo snapped his claws. "Let's just get to it."  
  
Shrugging, Clay took the lead and rang the apartment doorbell.  
  
They waited for a while before Jack rang it again impatiently.  
  
He was about to ring another time before Raimundo stopped him.  
  
"You'll have plenty of time to be annoying when they answer the door."  
  
Jack was about to protest when the door opened.  
  
A very old displeased woman stared at them, waiting for them to explain themselves.  
  
"Ms. Hui", Jack started when no one did. "We're here ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Wrong address", the woman said, shutting the door in their face.  
  
"So", Raimundo said, nonchalantly. "This is what it feels like."  
  
"Sucks, doesn't it?", Kimiko said, shifting her footing. "What do we do now?"  
  
"Your daddy have any other addresses?", Clay prompted.  
  
Kimiko shook her head.

"They've lived here and nowhere else in the last fifteen years and there's been no update for two months."  
  
"We can't have nothing", Jack said, aware of the desperation in his voice. "We need to do something."  
  
"Dojo", Raimundo said, an idea popping in his head. "Jack told us something about Dragon essence, can't we track that?"  
  
Dojo shook his head. "Dragon essence is only there when you're born, kid. It fades over the years unless you're going through Xiaolin training."  
  
Burying his face in his hands, Jack racked his brain for an idea.  
  
He only looked up when Dojo asked Clay what he was doing.  
  
Clay was ringing another doorbell.

"Just wait and see, partner."  
  
The door was opened a minute later by a guy around their age.  
  
The guy said something Jack couldn't understand, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"Uh, partner", Clay started. "Do you happen to know where your neighbors are?"  
  
The guy tilted his head, confusion mixing with sleep.

"Ms. Jiang never leaves her place; she's right there."

Jack cut in. "He means your previous neighbors. Hui? Badejo?"  
  
" _Oh_ ", the guy exclaimed, nodding. "They moved about two or three months ago."  
  
Jack gave Kimiko a look, to which she shrugged.  
  
"What? I told you the last update was two months ago."  
  
"You happen to know where they moved?", Clay asked.  
  
The guy gave them a once-over, a sly smile appearing.

"I do...and I'll tell you if give me the cutie's number."  
  
Kimiko did a cross of a sigh and a scoff.  
  
"And suddenly I miss Grandpappy Arthur."  
  


  
  
"You know, kid, I wouldn't have thought you were a physics wiz", Dojo commented as he looked through Raimundo's homework.  
  
  
They were flying to Shenzhen, Omi's new address, when the dragon insisted that he wanted something to do.  
  
Raimundo had sarcastically told him to check his homework and Dojo agreed, a little too fast for Jack to believe.  


"Ironically, I have a thing for aerodynamics", Raimundo said, no hint of sarcasm in his voice this time.  
  
"Could have something to do with yer element, partner", Clay said. "I mean, I'm pretty keen on geology myself."  
  
They both turned to face Kimiko, expectantly.  
  
Kimiko, who had been following the conversation, shrugged.

"I got really into arson when I was fifteen."  
  
"O-kay", Clay said, scooching further away from her. "That's nice."  
  
Kimiko rolled her eyes, while Dojo unironically agreed.  
  
"Yup", he said. "Elemental puberty, what a joy."  
  
"What the hell is elemental puberty?", Jack asked, curiously.  
  
"It's when the Dragon grows closer with their elements. It's always been a wonderful time at the temple..well, except when Wood Dragons were around, the gardens always went out of hand then."  
  
Jack nodded, not entirely convinced.  
  
"That's a load of bullshit", Raimundo said, voicing Jack's thoughts exactly. "If Kimiko liked to set little fires for joy, then what did _we_ do then?"  
  
"You went skydiving when you were fourteen, didn't you?", Dojo asked, a little too smugly.  
  
Raimundo looked sucker-punched. "How did you know?"  
  
Dojo scoffed.

"Wind Dragons are either always skydiving or bungee jumping. Ironically kind of predictable if you ask me."  
  
The conversation dipped into stories about former Dragons and how their elemental puberties affected them and the temple.  
  
Apparently, not all six Dragons appeared together at the temple, which in hindsight, seemed all too lucky, according to Dojo's anecdotes.   
  
The Water Dragons somehow almost always ended up flooding the temple and the Earth Dragons caused mini-earthquakes doing the most effortless tasks.  
  
Jack was more than a little surprised at the stories.

Somehow the more Dojo told, the more he pictured it with the Dragons from his dimension.  
  
He could picture Raimundo literally sneezing up a storm and sneaking out to go skydiving.

He could blink and see Kimiko starting mini-bonfires just out of temple range so no one would worry.  
  
It seemed all too real for him that he didn't really know what to do with all that emotion.  
  
  


  
  
Shenzhen turned out to be a beautiful city, which Jack agreed with but really wanted Clay to stop saying.  
  
Clay, who divulged that he had never left Texas soil, was mesmerized and often mentioned how much of an idiot he was to forget his camera.  
  
Jack took a look at the two other teenagers.  
  
Both seemed impressed but not phased, which wasn't too weird, in hindsight.

One of them went anywhere she wanted in a heartbeat and the other was part of a traveling circus. 

  
Dojo, like Clay, was practically vibrating in place.  
  
"It's like I can tell he's in this city, but he's no where near here."  
  
"Can't you sniff him out?", Jack asked, whiningly.  
  
Dojo didn't dignify that question with a response, choosing to glare at him instead.  
  
Fortunately, the three Dragons came back from the supermarket right at that very moment.  
  
Clay threw Jack a soda and took a sip of his own.

"You two do anything while we were gone?"  
  
"No, but Jack apparently thinks I'm a dog not a venerable dragon", Dojo answered.  
  
"What?"

"He asked me to _sniff out_ the Dragon!"  
  
Raimundo chuckled while Clay let out a snort.  
  
Kimiko, however, seemed to be contemplating something.  
  
"Maybe you can", she said, trailing off with her thoughts.  
  
Dojo sighed. "Not you too!"  
  
"Not like a dog", Kimiko explained. "I mean we should look for him at swimming pools or something ~~\--~~ you said he was fourteen, right? The age for elemental puberty?"  
  
The three boys and the dragon were speechless.  
  
"At the risk of sounding redundant", Jack began, genuinely impressed. "Tohomiko, you're a genius!"  
  
Kimiko pursed her lips. "And yet only one of us keeps going around announcing to people that _they're_ a genius."  
  
"I'm going to let that go for now."  
  


  
  
Kimiko was right as usual.  
  
After going to all the swimming pools and centers in the city, they eventually tracked Omi down at a swimming pool downtown.  
  
"Okay", Jack began. "Let's just wait here and work on our strategy; how are we going to approach him?"  
  
Raimundo raised a hand.

"Dojo promised that Kim and I get to do it this time."  
  
"Fine, then what's your idea?"  
  
"To not talk to him right now", Raimundo said matter-of-factly.  
  
Jack was a little too shocked to glare.

"What?"  
  
"Trust me on this one", Raimundo said. "This whole stalking thing ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Oh my God", Jack exclaimed, indignantly. "We haven't stalked anyone!"  
  
Kimiko popped a gum. "Actually you kinda did. You followed me around and then we followed Rai around."  
  
"That's following not _stalking_ ", Jack said, a 'duh' hidden in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, but this isn't a social media page", Kimiko retorted, rolling her eyes. "I'm with Rai on this one."  
  
Now it was Jack's turn to roll his eyes. "Of course you are."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
"I don't know, who was talking to me yesterday about getting into those cargo pants!"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Raimundo joined in.

"What about my cargo pants?"  
  
"That's none of your business!"  
  
The argument would have gotten way more heated if Clay hadn't interfered.  
  
"Uh, fellas", he began. "The swimming pool just closed."  
  
The two teenagers shut down the screaming match to look at the crowd leaving the pool.  
  
Dojo whistled. "Okay, everyone let's just wait and fo ~~\--~~ _where_ did he go?!"  
  
The crowd they were watching suddenly dispersed into a handful of people, none of them Omi's age.  
  
"New plan", Dojo said, trying not to lose confidence. "Let's split and look for the kid and whoever finds him just call us so we can follow him home."  
  
"Creepy", Kimiko commented. "But works for me."  
  
"I'm going with Kimiko", Raimundo said to Jack's accusatory looks. "What? I don't have an international phone plan."  
  
"Okay, then I'm going with Jack", Clay said.  
  
Jack ignored the funny fluttering in his stomach when he heard Clay say that last part.  
  
"Cool, so, uh, let's get going."  
  


  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Jack and Clay tracked down a group of kids Omi's age at an arcade game store.  
  
  
"You're awfully quiet there, partner", Clay said as they walked around, aimlessly following some of the people they've seen at the swimming pool.  
  
Jack hoped that Clay wouldn't notice that, but it was obviously bound to happen.

Unfortunately, Jack always made it known that he was a chatterbox.  
  
"Just tryin' to focus on the mission, uh, yonder", Jack answered, trying to jokingly mimic Clay's accent.  
  
It didn't really sit well with the cowboy.

"Nobody talks like that, you know."  
  
Jack was about to say that he was just joking, but Clay shushed him.  
  
"Jack, isn't that him?"  
  
He followed Clay's directions to see Omi and a couple of his friends standing in front of an old arcade store.  
  
"Yeah", Jack said, practically forcing the words out. "Yeah, it is."  
  
  
Even though they managed to get a look at him at the swimming pool, Jack was still overwhelmed at how Omi was changed in this dimension.  
  
Omi seemed content, was dressed in casual clothes and was joking around with a couple of other kids his age.

But most importantly, he let his hair grow out into a small Afro, not unlike the one Raimundo's brother Ezequiel was sporting.

The weird feeling Jack felt earlier on deep in the pit of his stomach returned, and this time Jack knew what it was.  
  
A combination of grief and shame.  
  
Jack felt an overwhelming grief for the Omi in his dimension, who would spent fourteen years of his life not knowing a thing about his parents and possibly never getting to be this carefree kid in front of him.  
  
But Jack also felt shame at having toyed with the kid, who was ten or maybe eleven at the time, and his longing for a family.  
  
Jack hadn't thought nothing of building those robots at the time, but now all he thought about was how he was going to throw up at the thought of the Crud robots.   
  
Bitterly, Jack wished that Omi's life here was different, wished that he was at least an orphan so they wouldn't be taking him away from his family again.  
  
  
Deeply lost in thought, Jack didn't hear Clay calling him until the other practically shook his shoulders.  
  
"What? What's going on?", Jack asked, feeling very confused and also kind of electrified.  
  
Clay seemed one second away from losing it.  
  
"The kid's gettin' away and Kim's not picking up!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Jack looked at the arcade store, but the loitering kids had long since left.  
  
"Oh my God", Jack said. "They all left ~~\--~~ where the hell was I?"  
  
"I've been tellin' you to get a move on for a while now, but it's like you blacked out", Clay explained. "And they didn't all leave, one of them is inside the store, but he's not the kid we want."  
  
Jack's phone, now in Clay's hand, started buzzing much to Clay's chagrin.  
  
" _Now_ she decides to call!"  
  
Clay answered the phone, slowly regaining patience.  
  
"Yeah, Kim ~~\--~~ no, we lost him. We're at an arcade store ~~\--~~ yeah, yeah, the one you wanted to check out."  
  
"What's up with them?", Jack asked.  
  
"Well, they obviously found nothing and they'll be on their way as soon as Dojo gets something to eat."  
  
  
  
Dojo, Kimiko, and Raimundo joined them five minutes later, all eating fries.  
  
"We're on a mission and you stopped for fries?", Jack asked, not missing the irony of him being more responsible than the Xiaolin Dragons.  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "It was Dojo's idea."  
  
Jack smiled as he looked at the dragon.

This could be a fun revenge moment.  
  
"Dojo, we lost the Water Dragon."  
  
Dojo's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "You what?!"  
  
"Lost the Dragon", Jack repeated without a trace of remorse. "And it's all because you were late in getting here."  
  
If Jack didn't know better, he would have thought Dojo was about to faint then and there.  
  
Luckily, Clay interfered. "Don't listen to him, Dojo, it's not your fault ~~\--~~ it's ours. We got distracted."  
  
"I thought you had a boyfriend", Raimundo said, smirking.  
  
Clay frowned. "I do, and just for the record, partner, only a thief thinks everybody steals."  
  
"Touché", Raimundo said.  
  
Jack was about to make a quip too when he got iverwhelmed by the familiar sticky presence he felt at the temple.

Uncertainly, Jack turned to look behind him.  
  
"What's with you?", Kimiko asked, looking over her shoulder too.  
  
Jack could swear he was smelling a vaguely familiar odor of cat hair and Dior, but he shook it off.  
  
"Nothing important ~~\--~~ so what are we gonna do?" 

  
  
  
  
Eventually, the team decided to wait it out in the arcade store, hoping that they may find any information from Omi's friend, who it seemed wasn't leaving any time soon.  
  
Jack mostly stood next to Raimundo, who had finally found his calling in a soccer game, while Clay was leisurely walking from game to game with vague interest.  
  
 Kimiko, however, was the exact opposite ~~\--~~ running from game to game with incredible speed, as if she was running out out time.  
  
  
Clay finally came to a stop beside Jack.

"Is he still playing that game?"  
  
"Who exactly are you talking about?", Jack asked, sarcastically, looking between Raimundo and Omi's friend.  
  
Clay ignored the joke. "You don't think we'll stay the night here, do you?"  
  
Jack shook his head as they both started at the nameless boy, who still kept playing the game even though he constantly lost.  
  
"I hope not", Kimiko said, joining them. "I didn't bring any extra clothes."

Dojo opened his mouth to say something, but he got side-tracked by the small television hanging from the ceiling.  
  
"What in the hell is _that_?", the dragon asked, finding his voice.  
  
The gang looked up at the television, all very surprised at what they were seeing.  
  
Well, all except Kimiko.  
  
"Oh no", she said, hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment.  
  
Jack honestly was about to try comforting her, but the ad had his undivided attention.  
  
The store manager had wisely kept the TV on mute, but he couldn't control the visuals much.  
  
The newest Cherry Soda commercial, featuring their trademark model, Kimiko, was airing in the arcade store to the chagrin of said model.  
  
"This wasn't supposed to air until next month", Kimiko whined angrily, before trying to control her temper. "I _really_ should've stuck to being a beauty blogger."  
  
"Why didn't you?", Jack asked, ever-curious about this part of her life.  
  
Kimiko shrugged. "I wanted better seats in Tokyo Fashion Week and one thing led to another."  
  
Having long since left his game, Raimundo nudged the distressed girl.

"Hey, check it out. You have a fan."  
  
"I have _fans_ ", Kimiko exasperatedly corrected, as the gang looked at who Raimundo nodded at.  
  
Omi's friend had apparently heard them and was looking from the surprisingly long ad to the real-life Kimiko as if he couldn't believe his eyes.  
  
The nervous boy finally found his voice.

"You're, you're..."  
  
Kimiko smiled pleasantly. "Yes, I am."  
  
"You're the Cherry Soda Girl!", the boy exclaimed, completing his sentence.  
  
"Yeah", Kimiko said, the smile falling from her eyes. "But I prefer Kimiko."  
  
Remembering a particularly low moment in his life, Jack grumbled.

"And sometimes she goes for Dutchess."  
  
Omi's friend only registered the second name.  
  
"Can I get a photo, uh, Dutchess?"  
  
Kimiko gave Jack a glare. "Sure."  
  
The boy took out his phone and handed it to Clay who promptly took the photo of Kimiko and her fan.  
  
"Thank you so much", the boy said, looking at the photo with awe. "Man, Omi's going to be so jealous!"  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Omi?"  
  
The boy shrugged. "Yeah, he's one of my friends. He _loves_ the Cherry Soda Girl!"  
  
Raimundo had a weird look in his eyes.

"Can we take your number, little dude? In case, we need you to get word out on something?"  
  
The boy nodded, as he took Raimundo's phone.  
  
"Okay. Are you doing an event here?"  
  
"Yeah", Raimundo answered, taking the phone back wih the new number. "We'll call you with the details, Mahu."  
  
Mahu nodded. "Cool...it was really nice meeting you, Dutchess."  
  
"It's Kimiko", she tried correcting to no avail; Mahu had already ran off.  
  
Kimiko immediately whipped her head to glare at Raimundo and his smug smirk.  
  
"What the hell are you planning?" 

  
  
  
"I can't believe you're pimping me out to get the kid", Kimiko grumbled as she took her seat. "Twice in the same day no less."  
  
  
Apparently Raimundo's big idea was an impromptu Cherry Soda Girl meet-and-greet, which he insisted would help get Omi to them rather than they scouring the city for him.  
  
"You're never going to admit he was asking for _my_ number, are you?", Raimundo asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
Kimiko waved it off. "Jack gave him my number."  
  
"I gave him your fake number", Jack corrected, as he shifted in place, still uncomfortable with the new suits they got.  
  
Part of the meet-and-greet plan was that Clay, Raimundo, and Jack would dress, or at least attempt to pass, as security and hand out forms for the fans so they could have all the information they want.  
  
Jack reluctantly agreed to the clothes, but he wasn't at all sure of the plan.  
  
It didn't seem easier to gather God-knows-how-many Kimiko fans in room and sort them out.

In fact, it seemed like a ~~\--~~  
  
"A waste of time", Jack completed out loud. "This is gonna be a _huge_ waste of time!"  
  
"Yeah, partner", Clay agreed, as he looked at Raimundo. "This is too much to catch one guy; we'll be busier than a moth in a mitten!" 

Raimundo sighed. "Come _on_ , guys! Put a little faith in it; Plan P never fails."  
  
"Plan P?", Dojo asked.  
  
"Plan Pedrosa", Raimundo explained. "We'll rely on our dazzling personalities, incredible eyebrows, and extremely good looks."  
  
Trailing his eyes over Jack, he added. "Well, most of us anyway."  
  
"You're not _that_ good-looking", Jack lied.  
  
Raimundo smirked. "Tell that to the guy in Beijing who asked for my number the first second he spotted me."  
  
"Guess it's time for the show to begin", Clay said, pointing at the door of the room they rented.  
  
A well-sized crowd of people, surprisingly of all ages, were entering the room.

Mahu, however, was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"That's a _big_ crowd", Dojo commented. "That soda company sure knows its marketing!"  
  
  
  
  
Sighing, Jack scanned the crowd again for any signs of Omi or his friend Mahu.  
  
The meet-and-greet had been going on for three hours now and it was starting to get on everybody's nerves.  
  
Kimiko, who had let out an impressive array of swear words during break, was currently calmly explaining a make-up technique to girl her age.  
  
" ~~\--~~ see? You'll just have to blend it and then you're all done."  
  
The girl nodded, as she filled out information form. "So how does this prize draw go again?"  
  
That was Jack's cue. He cleared his throat, making the girl's attention turn to him.  
  
"You just fill in your name and address and we'll be at your door if we pick your name."  
  
The girl squinted. "That doesn't answer my question."  
  
Sweating nervously, Jack tried a stern face.  
  
"Too bad then because you're time is up, missy!"  
  
"Whatever", the girl said, rolling her eyes at Jack. "Thanks for the make-up advice, Cherry!"  
  
"You're welcome", Kimiko said with a smile, before letting it drop as she turned to Jack.

"You heard that? They're calling me Cherry now!"  
  
"This was Raimundo's idea", Jack said. "Blame him!"  
  
Kimiko didn't avert her glare. "I am and I'm also blaming you."  
  
Turning to face the latest fan, she put on a smile again. "Hi there!"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Jack looked at the fan too and promptly decided his day was going from bad to worse.  
  
"Ashley?", he asked, not bothering to keep the contempt out of his voice. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Although she wasn't wearing her cat suit, Ashley still glared at him for using her first name.  
  
"God, Jack, you're so daft! What does it look like I'm doing?"  
  
When Jack didn't answer, Ashley continued with a sigh.

"I'm here to meet and have a little chat with, uh?"  
  
"Kimiko...or Cherry, or Dutchess", Kimiko said. "After three hours, you don't really care."  
  
Ashley waved it off. "Right. Can I get this signed?"  
  
Kimiko took the cherry soda can and half-heartedly signed it, while Ashley looked her up and down in a ' _really_?' type of way.  
  
"Thanks", Ashley said, taking the can.  
  
She made to leave but stopped to hiss at Jack.  
  
"Watch your back, Spicer", Ashley whispered, threateningly. "You're all getting _destroyed_."  
  
As soon as Ashley left, Kimiko turned to Jack.  
  
"She's evil, isn't she?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Yup."  
  
"Figured as much", Kimiko said. "I thought she was a tacky creep at first but all the hissing and the cat teeth gave it away."  
  
"Guys", Clay interrupted, approaching the table. "I think the our Water Dragon guy is coming up, so be prepared."  
  
  
  
Soon enough, like Clay said, Omi made the front of the line.  
  
He was currently vibrating in place from excitement, talking to Kimiko.  
  
"You're very photogenic", Omi said.  
  
Kimiko smiled. "Thank yo ~~\--~~ "  
  
"What is working with Lenny Gutierrez like?", he asked, cutting her off.  
  
"He's pretty coo ~~\--~~ "  
  
Omi was a bundle of excited questions.  
  
"You know, he's like a photography god! I really enjoy his work, especially the work featuring you! You add a really nice atmosphere to everything; is that intentional? Bec ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Okay!", Kimiko exclaimed, shutting him down. "In order. Lenny's work is amazing. Thank you. And yes, I do that on purpose."  
  
Omi sheepishly scratched his neck. "Sorry, I tend to get a little over-excited."

Jack snorted. Now wasn't _that_ an understatement!  
  
"Thank you again", Omi said, referring to the photo he took with Kimiko. "So I'm supposed to fill out a form?"  
  
  
  
  
  
An hour later, after they had difficultly shut off the meet-and-greet, the gang headed to Omi's house in a taxi.  
  
"You know, partner", Clay said, turning in his seat next to the driver. "I honestly didn't think this was gonna work."  
  
"Yeah, you made that very clear", Raimundo replied. "About thirty-three times actually."  
  
Clay smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Older brother habit."  
  
"Don't mention it; I ignored you the whole time", Raimundo said, shrugging. "Younger brother habit."  
  
  
Omi's house felt a little vacant, even before they went in.  
  
Jack registered a lot of boxes in the small garden and the lack of any apparent ornaments before the door was opened.  
  
A heavily pregnant woman, with a lot of resemblance to Omi, greeted them.  
  
"Ma'am, we're here to see your son", Clay started.  
  
Ms. Hui just smiled.

"I assume you're talking about the one who's not in my uterus, right? Come in."  
  
The gang followed Omi's mother into the house and Jack confirmed that the house really was vacant of anything that made it feel lived-in.  
  
"Nice place, Ms. Hui", Raimundo said, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.  
  
"Please", Ms. Hui said, with a slight eye-roll. "We're in the process of moving so not everything's here...well, nothing is here really, we just started moving here today."  
  
Ms. Hui put a hand behind her back, wincing slightly.  
  
"And just call me Jinglei", she added. "I don't look my age and I don't intend to have my neighbors find out that I'm..."  
  
She paused. "Twenty-three years old."  
  
"And you don't look a day older", Kimiko said, smiling. "So, Aun ~~\--~~ Jinglei, is Omi here?"  
  
"Yes", Jinglei answered before proceeding to yell something in Mandarin and looking pointedly at the stairs.  
  
Immediately, Jack and the others heard footsteps scurrying down the stairs before Omi, in all his pyjama glory, appeared.  
  
Omi rubbed his eyes and said something in rapid Mandarin to his mother before setting his sights on the Dragons.  
  
"I didn't know draws happened that quickly, but I cannot wait to rub it in Mahu's face!", Omi said, excitedly. "What is my prize anyway?"  
  
Jack was about to talk but Kimiko hit him in the ribs with her elbow to shut him up.  
  
"You're a Chosen One", Kimiko announced, snapping her fingers to make her trademark fire appear.  
  
Jinglei and Omi shared a look.  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
  
Jack couldn't shake the nagging feeling in his stomach as he listened to Raimundo and Kimiko's abridged version of the Xiaolin story.  
  
Jinglei insisted that they have their incredibly weird conversation over dinner and the starving monks agreed.  
  
Dojo was in the middle of talking about the temple and its masters when Jack felt the urge to get some air.  
  
"Guys, I'm going outside for a few", Jack said, excusing himself from dinner, to the somewhat worried glances of the Dragons he already knew. 

  
  
Standing in the small garden, Jack couldn't believe himself.  
  
He was here, in a slightly furnished house in Shenzhen, having dinner with the monks, their dragon, and Omi's heavily pregnant mother, Jinglei.  
  
He was almost done with Dashi's mission and yet he knew that the hard part was just beginning.  
  
Jack might have exaggerated the levels of his genius on some occasions, but he'd already figured out he had to do more than just get the band back together.  
  
Yet, the feeling of worry and shame had expanded since they set foot in this house.  
  
Jack and the monks discovered throughout dinner that Omi was an excellent swimmer and a good student and that he blushes when his mother calls him by a certain nickname he pretends to hate.  
  
They discovered that Jinglei had transferred school districts because she was going to start teaching high school students shortly after giving birth to her second baby, Omi's baby brother. 

Omi excitedly told them about his dad, a biologist named Ade Badejo, and how he was currently halfway around the world researching rare animal species.  
  
Jack could tell from his voice that Omi missed him deeply, but the latter wasn't that affected because they were supposed to meet in Lagos next month at the family home.  
  
Omi had sounded so excited, probably lost in daydreams about reuniting with his dad, and missed Jack wincing as if he'd been shot.  
  
It all seemed to real to Jack then; Omi's life and family. 

  
The Omi he knew had no family and was constantly wondering about them and their whereabouts no matter how thick the mask he put on.

He was even led to a trap once because of how the subject mattered to him.  
  
  
But in this dimension, the Water Dragon ~~\--~~ it felt too weird for Jack to call him Omi ~~\--~~ was completely different.  
  
He was more happy-go-lucky than serious and more the carefree kid he should have been rather than the Chosen One who had always known the fate of the world was on his shoulders.   
  
This Omi had a mother and a father and a little brother on the way.

He had grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins who loved him and loved to tease him.  
  
Realizing he was on the verge of tears, Jack made a decision and shook off the Grand Master's warning.  
  
Dashi could take his words and shove it for all he could care.    
  


  
  
When Jack reentered the house, he found the Xiaolin Dragons in the middle of an argument.  
  
  
"It's a six month difference, Rai", Kimiko yelled. "Face it, you've lost!"  
  
Raimundo was indignant. "That means nothing!"  
  
"What's going on?", Jack asked.  
  
Jinglei shrugged. "I had some concerns about my son's safety and I asked who the oldest is so I can talk to them and...voilà!"  
  
"Huh", Jack said, preparing himself for what was about to happen.  
  
Clay had apparently grown tired with the argument.  
  
"Partners, I hate to pop your bubbles but I'm a year older than _both_ of you."  
  
Kimiko and Raimundo shut up at that, deciding to grumble under their breaths instead.  
  
Seeing it as his moment, Jack cleared his throats.  
  
"I'm really sorry", Jack began, sincerely. "But, guys, I don't think we should be taking Omi with us."  
  
The four Dragons shared a look.  
  
"What?!"  
  
Jack tried for a casual shrug. "I just don't think it's fair; he's really young."  
  
"I'm not that much younger than they are", Omi retorted. "It's my destiny. You all said that!"  
  
"It is", Jack agreed. "But you're not ready for it."  
  
Turning around to look at the rest of the Dragons, Jack repeated his point.  
  
"You guys seriously couldn't have that he was ready for this type of thing when you met him?"  
  
No one answered, so Jack continued.  
  
"What about your brother, Clay; do you think he'd be ready for this? Or any of your cousins? Kimiko? Raimundo?"  
  
"No", Raimundo answered. "None of them would've been able to handle it, but ~~\--~~ "  
  
Jack had trouble controlling his voice. "But what?"  
  
"But you expect that any of us can", Kimiko finished, raising her voice just as much. "None of us can handle this and you know it."  
  
She paused before adding.  
  
"You told us we're Dragons and we're supposed to save the world, but to be honest none of us is registering this yet."  
  
Try as he might, Jack couldn't argue with her.  
  
"Kimiko told me about you undoing your original dimension", Jinglei began in a somber voice.  
  
Jack reluctantly looked into Jinglei's eyes, making her continue.  
  
"But she didn't need to. I somehow remember it."  
  
"What do you mean, ma'am?", Clay asked.  
  
Jinglei sighed and sat back down at the dinner table.  
  
"I remember everything", she repeated. "I remember leaving my home when I was so close to giving birth. I just up one day and left."  
  
She looked at Omi apologetically. "It was like I was possessed ~~\--~~ I just kept walking until I reached a temple, _your_ temple and then something...odd happened."  
  
Jinglei looked down at her hands.  
  
"Suddenly I saw two roads in my memory: one that showed me that I would leave my baby at the Xiaolin Temple and go back to Beijing and wake up in a hospital emergency room with my crying sister."  
  
At this Jinglei paused and turned to Omi, smiling.

"You know how your Auntie Christy freaks out over everything."  
  
Mesmerized by the story, Omi just nodded.

"Yeah, Auntie does that."  
  
Clearing her throat, Jinglei continued.  
  
"The other road showed me this", she said, gesturing at Omi. "It showed me a life where I kept my baby."  
  
Jinglei waited for anyone to have any reaction, but all she got were shocked faces.  
  
Looking apologetically at Dojo, Jinglei added.  
  
"You have to understand; I chose this life. I knew Omi would have to leave one day, but I still chose this life. And I'm not sorry."  
  
"Aunt ~~\--~~ Jinglei", Kimiko began. "We get it."  
  
Jack nodded and prepared to say something but was interrupted.  
  
"I hope I'm not intruding on this beautiful _meow_ -ment."  
  
Shuddering at the pun, Jack didn't even need to look behind him to know who it was.  
  
"Ashley."  
  
Sighing, Ashley shifted her stance, catsuit tail moving along.

"It's Katnappe!"   
  
Even though she was crying, Jinglei put a disapproving expression on.  
  
 "Jack, you left the door unlocked?"  
  
Jack shrugged and tried to ignore the odd feeling of pride as the Xiaolin Dragons unwittingly took defensive poses.  
  
"Corection: it's the creepy white girl with the tacky shoes", Kimiko said.  
  
Ashley just glared at her. "Whatever. Kittens, attack."  
  
"Kittens?", Raimundo asked. "Did she say _kittens_?"  
  
Before the sentence was over, a small army of Ashley's genetically altered kittens stormed the house.  


The Dragons, much to Jack's surprise, had knowledge of martial arts skills, even if less honed than they were in the original dimension.  
  
Kimiko was using the utensils on the dinner table as ninja stars, while Omi was hitting the kittens with a cushion to keep them as away from his mother as possible.  
  
Raimundo, too, was kicking the kittens away, though he shifted from standing on his feet to standing on his hands and swinging his legs around, effectively kicking them off.  
  
"I don't know", Clay began, simply sidestepping the monstrosities. "It just feels wrong kicking a kitten ~~\--~~ it's like we're a few minutes away from kicking puppies."  
  
"Clay", Kimiko yelled as she substituted the utensils for plates now. "I'm a dog person myself, but if it has rabies..."  
  
She trailed off, but Clay had already gotten the gist of what she was going to say.  
  
"I get it", he said, nodding as he punched the kittens who got close.  
  
  
Jack was deeply cursing his luck right now.  
  
Apparently all the time working with Ashley ~~\--~~ a phrase that made him shudder just to thinking about it ~~\--~~ had made the kittens see him as a non-threatening object.  
  
And so, while the monks were fighting, Jack was locked into a stare-down with Ashley.  
  
"You're so dramatic", Ashley said, hissing. "I tell you that our evil partnership is over and you just join the good guys?"  
  
"It doesn't work that way", Jack said, ignoring the pain from Dojo accidentally clawing him as he flew and settled around his neck.  
  
Ashley rolled her eyes. "It happened not even two minutes after I was out of your basement."  
  
"That may sound incriminating", Jack agreed. "But I had a mission to do."  
  
"Oh a mission, that's so exciting", Ashley scoffed. "I don't know why I was bothered to think about making you my court jester."  
  
Jack gasped and was about to say something, but noticed the absence of the sticky feeling he now recognized as Wuya's.  
  
"Where's your evil hag anyway?", Jack taunted. "She got bored with you already?"  
  
"As if", Ashley said. "She's right behind you."  
  
"Yeah right", Jack said, suddenly feeling the dreaded sticky presence again. "Crap."  
  
The purple ghost circled Jack and floated to his face.  
  
"I see you're still being a disappointment to everything Heylin", Wuya said with her scraggly voice. "Working with the Xiaolin. Disgusting."  
  
"I could say the same about your breath", Jack said, a little too cheerily. 

Wuya just sneered at him. "Do not think for one second that I have forgotten, Jack Spicer."  
  
Jack's insides turned to jelly at her tone.

"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that I remember everything", the ghost said. "I remember what happened and what hasn't, what will and what could be. And I certainly do remember every one of your failings."  
  
Noticing the small kitten army running to the door, Wuya shifted her focus to the monks.  
  
"We have seen enough", she said as she floated through the wall.  
  
Purring, Ashley stretched and slipped a familiar object to her fist.  
  
"Finally", she said. "Fist of Tebigong!"  
  
Ashley proceeded to hit the walls ~~\--~~ and somehow the roof ~~\--~~ of the house with enough pressure to make them crack.  
  
She gave Jack one last scoff before she scurried through the door.  
  
Noticing the cracking ceiling, Dojo expanded and grabbed Omi and Jinglei first and placed them on his back.  
  
"Let's go, let's go, let's go", Jack shouted, ushering the three other Dragons to Dojo's back.  
  
Dojo, however, flew off too soon.  
  
"Great", Raimundo said, dryly. "He finds the last Dragon and completely forgets sbout us."  
  
Stopping just above the high roof, Dojo extended his tail. "Grab on!"  
  
"It's way too far", Kimiko said. "We can't jump that high!"  
  
Biting back the _'yet'_ he was dying to say, Jack got an idea.  
  
"Clay, lasso!"  
  
Clay grimaced. "I didn't bring it with me today."  
  
"Then use the next best thing", Kimiko huffed as she undid her extensions.  
  
She handed Clay one extremely long braid and struggled with the other.  
  
"It won't detach!"  
  
Jack handed Kimiko his pocket knife. "Hurry up, I don't wanna die here!"  
  
Kimiko was carefully cutting around her real hair in extreme, slow caution.  
  
"Give me that", Raimundo said, as he proceeded to cut the extension.  
  
"Hey, hey, careful that's my", Kimiko said, as Raimundo took an unnecessarily big chunk of her hair with the extension. "...hair."  
  
"Sorry", Raimundo said as he handed Clay the extension.  
  
Clay roped both braids into a lasso and prepared to swing it.  
  
"Hang on tight, fellas!"  
  
  
  
  
As they watched the house collapse, Jack noticed that Omi wasn't able to settle on a single expression.  
  
"I suppose it's lucky most of our things are at the other house Mom hates", Omi said finally, shrugging.  
  
"Yeah", Kimiko agreed, as she fingered mismatched strands of her hair. "Lucky."  
  
Clay and Raimundo shared a guilty look.  
  
"Sorry to Samson you there Kimiko", Clay said, apologetically.  
  
Kimiko's only answer was a shrug before she looked at the people around her, eyes lingering on Jack and Omi.  
  
"So what happens now?"  
  
Jinglei shook her head and swallowed, deep in thought.  
  
She nodded to herself, finally reaching her decision.  
  
 Jinglei looked Jack straight in the eye and gave a quivering smile.  
  
"My son goes with you. He is a Dragon." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Omi is the Yourba word for water so imo it would make more sense if he was biracial ( Chinese and Nigerian (Yoruba)) 
> 
> \- I also discovered that I cannot write action scenes that well but I will try though I'll probably make them more funny than realistic


	8. Spiritual Connection Is Hard to Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is an Incredibles quote followed by a Brooklyn 99 quote-reference here.

 

 

Though it was a totally predictable outcome, Jack couldn't believe that he was still hanging around the Xiaolin temple.

  
After delivering the monks to Master Fung, Jack felt like he was owed to at least see their first training session.  
  
Or at least that's what he told himself when he discovered he had simply fainted after reaching temple ground.  
  
Jack woke up later than the monks did that day and, after a hurried breakfast, followed them to the training spot.  
  
  
Master Fung was explaining some of the temple rules when Jack showed up.  
  
"And finally", the old master said. "You are supposed to be the guardians of this world so please act like it and don't fight over the bathroom, _Omi_ , _Raimundo_."  
  
Said monks grumbled their assent, so Master Fung proceeded.  
  
"Since this is the first training session, I suppose we should start with some fighting basics ~~\--~~ "  
  
At this, the Dragons interrupted Master Fung with various gasps, surprising Jack, who'd been involuntarily nodding assent to the master's suggestion.  
  
Master Fung tried to explain further but his students didn't give him a chance.  
  
"I happen to be a Choy Li Fut prodigy!"  
  
"Grew up goin' to a Tai Chi dojo, sir."  
  
"My dad was so big on self-defense that I'm literally a judo genius _and_ I know some ninjutsu!"  
  
"I was literally born in a Capoeira class. My mom ~~\--~~ "  
  
Master Fung loudly cleared his throats to stop Raimundo from further expanding on his point and fixed the monks with a tired yet resigned gaze.  
  
"I see you have some background", he began, tone teetering dangerously on sarcasm.

He gave each of the Dragons a look, before continuing.

"So I stand corrected. Dojo and Jack will supervise you as you fight each other so we can assess the level of your skills."  
  
Clay looked around his teammates with an analytic look that turned wary when his eyes stopped on Kimiko.  
  
"Uh, Master Fung?"  
  
"Yes, Clay?"  
  
"Do all of us have to fight... _all_ of us?"  
  
"Yes, that happens to be the point of this exercise."  
  
Kimiko laughed for a second before her smile turned to a mischievous smirk.  
  
"What's the matter, cowboy?", she teased. "Scared?"  
  
Clay nodded, matter-of-factly.

"I most certainly am. I cut off your hair yesterday and you acted like everything is fine and dandy."  
  
"It is", Kimiko said, with a shake that made her hair, now all cut short, bounce. "I _totally_ got over that."  
  
"She's lying", Omi said, a little too obviously. "Clay, you better be careful ~~\--~~ she's planning revenge."

  
  
A while later, long after Master Fung had left and Dojo had arrived, Jack started counting the tally.  
  
"Okay, so Raimundo", Jack began as he looked at the notebook that also served as a scoreboard. "You won one out of three."  
  
"Because he moves too fast", Kimiko said, scoffing.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes at her. "And Omi, you won two out of three."  
  
Omi beamed at this and didn't bother biting back the arrogance. "I lost that last one on purpose."  
  
The three other Dragons sighed in unison at him before Clay turned to Jack.  
  
"What about us?", he asked, gesturing to him and Kimiko.  
  
"Well, you lost one and won one", Jack said, a little apologetically. "And Kimiko, pretty much the same."  
  
Dojo, now on Jack's shoulder, took a look at the notebook too.

"Now all we need is you two to fight so we can get this over with."  
  
Kimiko nodded and took a fighting stance, which Clay reluctantly mimicked.  
  
"Alright", Dojo said, in a theatrical voice. "Begin!"  
  
The minute Dojo began the fight, Clay objected.  
  
"I can't do this", he said, as attempted to leave the pseudo-ring.  
  
Kimiko narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean you can't do this? It's just a fight."  
  
"Yeah", Clay said, sheepishly. "It's just...I don't fight girls."  
  
Jack face-palmed. This was going to take all day, and he knew it.

After a moment of silence, Raimundo finally commented.  
  
"What the hell, dude? You know chivalry is dead, right? Murdered and buried in a nameless ditch too."  
  
Clay glared at him. "Beating up girls is just _wrong_."  
  
"So is beating up little kids", Raimundo countered. "And yet there you were trying to kick Omi's ass."

"Oh my God", Omi said, exasperatedly. "I'm fourteen years-old. _You_ were my age not that long ago."  
  
Raimundo waved it off. "Yeah, call me when you're almost in college."  
  
"If you're done", Clay began, crossing his arms. "I'm not going to beat up a little lady just so I can win."  
  
Kimiko scoffed. "Don't worry, you're not going to win."  
  
"Well aren't you stuck up higher than a light-pole", Clay said, a little peeved. "You know you're just a tiny bit too sure of your winning, right?"  
  
Kimiko gave a sunny smile.  
  
"No, but if you're skeptical you can come and try to kick my ass so I can kick _your_ ass and get it over with."  
  
Jack tried to interfere but Omi clamped a hand on his mouth.  
  
"Please", Omi whispered. "I need to see how this goes, Raimundo and I bet chores."  
  
Removing the hand off his mouth, Jack side-eyed the boy practically bouncing on his feet.  
  
"You bet on Kimiko, didn't you?"  
  
Raimundo nodded. "Well, duh! You always root for the underdog ~~\--~~ especially when they can breathe fire and are literally motivated by spite."  
  
"Huh", Jack said as he tilted his head. "I know we don't have a common currency, but can we bet money on this?"

 

* * *

 

  
After the fight was over and Master Fung came back to survey the damage, Jack left the monks to continue training with five more renminbis in his pocket.  
  
  
He retreated to the guest room ~~\--~~ now called Jack's room by the monks and Dojo, much to his conflicting feelings ~~\--~~ and sat on the sleeping mat.  
  
Sighing, he opened his design sketch and started absent-mindedly drawing up a new robotic design.  
  
Something was not right.  
  
Jack knew that because something felt off in the temple, well in him, at least.  
  
In this dimension, Jack had felt two overwhelming presences.  
  
One presence was sticky and sickly and disturbing, yet familiar.

Jack was positive now that it was Wuya's.  
  
The other presence, which he had only noticed once it disappeared, was airy, relaxing, calm, and somehow almost always made him feel like he was about to get a wedgie.  
  
Jack now knew that presence was Dashi's.  
  
  
To say he had been disturbed that the almighty Xiaolin hero was somehow always with him in this dimension would have been an understatement.  
  
Truth be told, Jack wasn't sure what to make of this or what to make of the fact that he was sort of proud that the Grand Master was like his personal guardian of sorts.  
  
Pushing his wobbly proud feeling aside, Jack concentrated on the actual problem: Dashi's presence stopped following him around the minute he and the monks went into Omi's house.  
  
Jack had tried to come up with a lot of reasons for the disappearance.  
  
Maybe Dashi felt like he fulfilled his purpose by having Jack bringing all the Dragons together, or maybe something else had come up.  
  
Biting the inside of his cheek, Jack shook the thoughts off.  
  
Whatever purpose Dashi had certainly wasn't fulfilled because, for one, Jack wouldn't have remained there.

And besides, Jack felt the presence diminish in a way that could only be described as angry.  
  
A light breeze that carried a sliver of Dashi's presence ruffled the blanket, making Jack nod.  
  
So he was _definitely_ pissed off, which Jack knew couldn't be a good thing since he still needed his help to know what the hell he was supposed to do now.  
  
"I'm sorry", Jack said, looking around the empty room. "I didn't mean to do it, whatever it  was. Dashi? Grand Master?"  
  
No one answered, so Jack just shrugged and closed his design sketchbook.  
  
Master Fung told him that training was going to be over in an hour anyway.   


  
  
When Jack found the monks, still in the training ground, he certainly hadn't expected them to be sprawled out on the floor in exhaustion.  
  
"What the hell happened?", Jack asked, making conversation. "And where's Clay?"  
  
Omi moaned an answer. "Clay. Tea."  
  
No one answered Jack's first question, but soon enough Kimiko provided an explanation.

"This is it, this is how I die", she said, dramatically.  
  
Jack scoffed; seeing the monks actually complain about training wore some of the magic off.  
  
"You're not dead."  
  
"Then kill me and end my suffering", she replied. "And when you do, call my cousin Mayumi and tell her that I stole her ugly leather jacket and buried it in a French dumpster."  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow at that. "Noted, but isn't that a little drama ~~\--~~ "  
  
"We're dead", Raimundo said suddenly, interrupting him. "We survived, but we're dead!"  
  
Both Kimiko and Omi gave little tired laughs at that and even Jack had to admit the delivery was amusing.  
  
Knowing he had an audience, Raimundo carried on.  
  
"There are lots of horror movies I still didn't get to see. The one with the murderous ghost, the one with the murderous clown, Your Mother Giving Birth."  
  
"Dude", Jack exclaimed. "Not funny!"  
  
"It's a real movie!"  
  
"Now I know for a fact you're lying!"  
  
Before the argument could continue, Omi lifted a trembling finger and pointed at something far away.  
  
"Clay", Kimiko announced, as all three Dragons pushed themselves to sitting position, all giving Clay strange looks.  
  
"What, what's going on", Jack asked, a little weirded out.  
  
They all ignored him except Omi, who gave a half-hearted response.  
  
"You didn't see Clay at training today."  
  
Raimundo nodded. "Dude caught everything that was thrown at him."  
  
"Yeah", Kimiko agreed as she eyed the cowboy carrying a tray full of cups of tea. "I bet two chores that he would drop that tray and catch anything that flies at him."  
  
Both boys turned to look at her, while she just shrugged. "It's a fair bet."  
  
"You're on", Raimundo said, getting off the ground and starting for Clay.  
  
As Jack watched Raimundo run with incredible speed, he had to admit that he was growing increasingly surprised at how the monks turned everything into a bet.  
  
Clay's eyes widened as saw his nearly flying teammate.

"Rai, don't I'm carrying tea ~~\--~~ "  
  
Raimundo did not stop, of course, and as predicted Clay dropped the tray and caught him in his arms.  
  
Even with the distance, the former's voice carried.  
  
" _Damn_ good catch ~~\--~~ Kim, I'm only doing the kitchen floor!'  
  
As he tried brushing off the faint feeling of jealousy at the scene in front of him, Jack saw Kimiko lying back on the ground.  
  
"Knew it", she mumbled.  
  
"That was incredibly uncalled for, little lady", Clay said, as he dropped Raimundo on the floor to Jack's relief.

He shrugged. "I'm guessing you could tell that there's no tea."  
  
Kimiko mumbled something inaudible, while Clay just shook his head, disappointed.  
  
"How are you not lying on the ground complaining?", Jack asked, giving Clay a once-over.  
  
Clay shrugged, as he sat down too. "Jack, I feel _and_ look like ten miles of bad road."  
  
"Maybe you _should_ have started with the basics the old man talked about", Jack offered.  
  
Even with his face buried in the ground, Raimundo managed to let out an incredible snort.  
  
"Over my dead body. My mother would have disowned me if she knew ~~\--~~ you _saw_ that she runs a martial arts academy."  
  
"Still", Jack said, just to get in the last word. "Couldn't have hurt."  
  
  
As the monks started talking about other things, Jack started thinking.  
  
What if he talked to the monks about the Dashi situation? He hadn't really mentioned it to anyone in the temple yet.  
  
 All he said was that Dashi's ghost appeared to him twice, and he only told Master Fung and Jack's old friend, Master Huang.  
  
But he hadn't really spoken to the monks about this because at this point, none of them knew who Grand Master Dashi was nor cared to.

Even Omi, who Jack still had trouble directly addressing without feeling guilty, knew nothing about him.  
  
Jack focused back on the conversation, which had apparently became about the Wind Dragon's family.  
  
"So all everyone in your family is either a performer or a martial artist?", Omi asked, bewildered.  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "Pretty much, except Inês is footballer and Jacinto's a doctor, the nerd!"

 

 

Later on, as they had lunch, Jack decided he was going to ask the monks for advice, even if he felt incredibly weird about doing so. 

  
"So, guys", Jack began, uneasily. "I kinda wanted to ask you about something."  
  
No one answered him, though Jack couldn't blame them.

He was struggling to focus on what he wanted to say too, especially with what they were doing.  
  
Raimundo and Kimiko, mostly the former though, were pressuring Clay to eat like a normal person.  
  
"I _am_ eating like a normal person", Clay insisted, not bothering to hide his annoyance.  
  
Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because normal people add spices to their food. This is just _bland_."  
  
"This is anything but bland", Clay said. "I just added hot sauce."  
  
"Your hot sauce doesn't have that much spice in it", Raimundo said, with a slight exasperation.  
  
Kimiko nodded and turned to Raimundo with a look. "They invade the entire world for spices and then don't even bother using them."  
  
Clay sighed. "My step-mother is Vietnamese, I know how to use spices."  
  
"Oh", Omi said, as he took a look at Clay's plate. "In that case, mama _has_ raised a fool!"  
  
"Damn, Omi", Jack said, unintentionally joining the monks' laughing and the whooping. "That was good!"  
  
"I know", Omi said, smiling smugly.  
  
"This is _so_ going in as a point for you, O", Raimundo said, actually writing it down.  
  
"Point for what? Let me see", Kimiko said, snatching the paper from him.  
  
She did a double-take between the paper and Raimundo. "Monk of the week? Really?"  
  
"Don't worry, you're still my favorite", he said, holding up a hand. "This is just to get a healthy competition vibe going on."  
  
Clay gave him a look, as he looked at the paper too. "Then why are _you_ not in it, partner? And why do _I_ have the least points?"  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "I didn't say I was going to take part in it. And you really haven't impressed me yet."  
  
He paused. "Hey, Clay, can you hand me that dumpling?"  
  
"Why should I do that?"  
  
"Because it'll go down as a point."  
  
They both stared at each other for more than a few seconds, before Clay caved.  
  
"Here", he said, handing over the dumpling.  
  
"Thank you", Raimundo said, triumphantly. "Just for your information, people pleasers recognize each other."  
  
Jack shook off the odd conversation and cleared his throat.  
  
"Oh yeah", Omi said. "Jack wanted something."  
  
Kimiko didn't even look up from her phone.

"Spit it out, Stalker Boy."  
  
Jack glared at her, but answered. "I'm having sort of a little problem."  
  
"Which is?", Omi prompted.  
  
Sighing, Jack tried to think of how to start this conversation.  
  
Does he just start talking about Dashi like the Dragons already knew him when they didn't and Dojo's history class was due for tomorrow?  
  
Judging that the best place to start was the beginning, Jack decided to give the monks some background.  
  
  
  
After he was done, the monks remained silent for a total of ten minutes, as they processed the information.  
  
"So you're evil", Kimiko said, wholly unconvinced. " _You_?"  
  
Jack tried not to let it get to him. "Yes, I am."  
  
Raimundo scratched his chin. "And that chick with the cat fetish ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Ashley, or Katnappe", Jack corrected.  
  
"Whatever they're calling it these days. She worked for _you_?"  
  
"Yeah", Jack said, his feeling of insult growing. "Why is that so hard to believe?"  
  
Omi shrugged. "I don't know, it just seems weird. She's just so...competent, compared to you."  
  
Feeling like the monks were losing sight of the actual issue, Jack cleared his throat and tried to put them back on track.  
  
"Okay, okay. Now what about _my_ problem?"  
  
Clay was surprised. "Your problem?"  
  
"Yeah", Jack said. "The reason I told you all this crap?"  
  
"Right", Clay said, nodding. "You said in the other universe ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Dimension."  
  
"Yeah, you said that we came to the temple four years earlier?"  
  
Jack nodded, regretting every detail he shared with the Dragons.

He told them when they came to the temple and about their animosity and may have exaggerated his wins.

He also and told them ~~\--~~ well, 'bitched' was the word Kimiko used to describe it ~~\--~~ that Ashley only came into the conflict because she worked _for him_.  
  
During that storytelling, Jack knew he may have lost track of his original point about the Xiaolin-Heylin conflict and its heroes, namely Dashi.  
  
Jack was proud, though, and congratulated himself on not divulging important details, like who was the leader and the fact that there even is a leadership position.  
  
  
"Yes, you did", he answered Clay. "Now what about my problem with your Grand Master?"  
  
"Yeah, no one got that", Kimiko said. "We were all busy thinking about the universe you unraveled."  
  
Jack didn't bother correcting her this time, and instead just sighed.  
  
"Fine, Grand Master Dashi was the guy who imprisoned Wuya in the puzzle-box."  
  
"And Wuya is that purple demon ghost?"  
  
"Well, Omi, she's actually a witch, but yeah she's the ghost."  
  
Jack paused; the next sentence was going to feel very strange.  
  
 "And then Wuya got out because Ashley solved the puzzle-box and here we are."  
  
Kimiko scrunched up her nose. "And your problem is..?"  
  
"Dashi's ghost appeared to me twice to offer me solutions and advice and whatnot", Jack said, suddenly feeling his own importance.  
  
"Still not seeing the problem, partner."  
  
"Because I'm not done yet! Anyway, Dashi disappeared about a day or so and we need him so..."  
  
Jack trailed off and hoped the monks understood the severity of the situation.  
  
"Didn't you say your mission is to get the Dragons back together?", Raimundo asked.  
  
Jack nodded, so he continued.  
  
"Then, that's it. You did it so there's nothing more he can do."  
  
"No, you don't get it", Jack said, impatiently. "If that was the case, I'd have been home already!"  
  
"Well fuck, dude, at least appreciate the help", Raimundo said, surprised at his tone.  
  
"You didn't have to be rude", Kimiko agreed.  
  
Jack couldn't appreciate the irony of the two rudest people he has met in all dimensions chiding him for rudeness.  
  
"Look, guys", he said, ignoring their last words. "This is serious."  
  
"If it's that serious, you should'a probably asked one of the masters to help you", Clay said, matter-of-factly.  
  
Omi nodded. "None of us has been here that long."  
  
Getting up, Jack said nothing and opted instead to leave the kitchen to save what little dignity he had left.  


 

* * *

 

  
  
Over the next few days, as he came and went to the temple, Jack contemplated over actually following Clay's advice.  
  
It was good advice, that much was true, but his pride was so wounded, he didn't want to attempt it anytime soon.  
  
  
He was headed to the training ground with a new device for the monks ~~\--~~ a sentence he hadn't believed he would utter, much less think.

  
The monks had adjusted well to the training over the last week and a half, complaining less and less about exhaustion and near-deaths, but Omi still mentioned hand cramps from time to time.  
  
Naturally, Jack had tinkered and created a simple hand-massager before he even knew what he was doing.  
  
He felt sick about it soon after, but he judged it was a side-effect of the guilt.  
  
  
  
Jack saw the Dragons' silhouettes and was about to craft a witty greeting when Master Huang interrupted him.  
  
"Good morning, Jack", he greeted.  
  
Heart almost stopping in shock, Jack stopped in his tracks. "Hey, Master Fung. Uh, I was going to ~~\--~~ "  
  
"To see the Dragons, I know", the old master completed. "I was hoping I could talk to you first."  
  
Jack nodded. There was only one answer he could give really, and it certainly wasn't a ' _no_ '.  
  
"Sure, what's up?"  
  
"The young Dragons have told me that you have been having some trouble recently."  
  
Jack grimaced. "They told you about that?"  
  
The master nodded. "I do prefer if you would tell me about it yourself."  
  
"Okay", Jack said. "You know how Grand Master Dashi talks to me sometimes?"

"Ah, yes", Master Fung said, quirking an eyebrow. "Do tell him that some of the old masters have been waiting all their lives for a chance at such communication."  
  
Jack didn't miss the snark, but he wasn't sure how was supposed to respond to it.  
  
"Go on", the old master prompted.  
  
"Yeah, so about that...it's not happening anymore", Jack said. "I can't get through to him and I'm pretty sure he's pissed at me."  
  
Master Fung stroked his beard. "I see. Do you happen to know where Master Huang is currently?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Yeah, he's at the kitchen, I think. Usually goes for an early lunch."  
  
Shrinking under the teacher's analytical gaze, Jack asked. "Why?"  
  
"Master Huang is going on an errand after he finishes his lunch", Master Fung explained. "You're going with him."  
  
"But _why_?"  
  
"To find an answer to your problem."  
  
That was a good an answer as any.  
  
"Cool, count me in."  


  
  
"Can you get some snacks with you?", Kimiko asked, laying flat on her belly as she killed zombies on her portable game.  
  
Jack nodded. "Sure."  
  
  
He'd found the monks in their room rather than the training ground after he went to find Master Huang.  
  
They were having an interesting conversation about Master Fung and his teaching methods when he came in.  
  
"I just don't see how walking on two fingers would help us...at all", Omi said, more than a little frustrated.  
  
Raimundo nodded, half to acknowledge Jack's presence and half at Omi's remark.  
  
"Same, it's just so unnecessary ~~\--~~ and I've shared a train car with seven contortionists I should know."  
  
Jack plopped to the floor. "Hey, losers."  
  
"You're late", Kimiko said, not looking up from her game. "And you cost me bathroom duty."  
  
"On the other hand", Omi said, beaming. "I'm _super_ glad to see you at this very second because now I don't have bathroom duty."  
  
Jack chuckled. "You have to stop betting on everything, guys. What kind of monks are you?"  
  
"The kind that's goin' to be exactly like Master Huang and Master Lin", Clay said. "Those two remind me of my Aunt Betsy when her gambling problem got out of han ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Yeah", Jack said, cutting off Clay, who he could effortlessly listen to for hours sometimes. "So I'm going to Cambodia with Master Huang."  
  
Raimundo laughed. "That's a very unexpected turn in the story. Why?"

Jack shrugged and started explaining how Master Fung told him that he would find answers in Cambodia, as he went with Master Huang on his errand to check on ~~\--~~  
  
"A Fire Dragon?", Kimiko said, wide-eyed. "You _have_ to tell me everything you see!"  
  
Nodding, Jack didn't find it hard to see why she would be interested; the guy was her predecessor anyway.

 

* * *

 

  
  
Somehow, Jack expected a former Fire Dragon's home to be more luxurious.  
  
He supposed he was influenced by the encounters with the obnoxiously rich current Fire Dragon, but this Dragon's home reminded him more of Omi than Kimiko.  
  
  
As they waited in the living room, Master Huang decided to fill in Jack on the man's history.  
  
"Neang Chea was one of the most fearsome Dragons the world has ever witnessed", he said, proudly. "I, for one, followed his exploits religiously as a boy."  
  
Jack tried not to laugh at the thought of the starkly white-haired Master Huang as a child.  
  
"Wow, he must be ancient if he was around when _you_ were a kid", he said, before curiousity rose. "How old are you anyway?"  
  
Master Huang barely blinked. "Ask and ye shall never be told."  
  
The old man stood suddenly and motioned Jack to do the same.  
  
A woman, in her forties, walked into the living room and warmly greeted Master Huang.  
  
She took a look at Jack and sighed as she switched to English.  
  
"Is this a new Dragon?", she asked, sounding like she hoped it wasn't true.  
  
Master Huang shook his head. "No, this is Jack Spicer, he's simply accompanying me today."  
  
He smiled as he introduced them. "Jack, this is Neang Nimol, Chea's daughter."  
  
"Nice to meet you", Jack said as Nimol nodded at him.  
  
"How is your father doing?", the master asked, worriedly. "Last time, he was..."

He trailed off, the rest of the sentence implied.  
  
Nimol smiled tensely, as they all sat back down.  
  
"He's doing fine now ~~\--~~ not necessarily good, but better", she said. "Got really excited when he heard the news about the new Dragons, though."  
  
Jack held back the biting remark he's been dying to say when he noticed Nimol giving him a wary look.  
  
She glanced back at Master Huang and said something in Khmer, of which Jack only understood one word.

Heylin.  
  
It was understandable, really. He looked the part and his energy did too, probably.  
  
  
  
A short while later, after they had a tense, short chat over tea, Nimol got up.  
  
"My father should be awake now, I'll get him for you."  
  
The minute Nimol left earshot, Master Huang turned to Jack with a stern face.  
  
"You be on your best behavior; you're about to be in the presence of a living legend."  
  
Jack sighed. "Yes, Master Huang."  
  
"And none of your wisecracks!"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"None of that eye-rolling too!"  
  
"Okay, okay. I get it ~~\--~~ this man is like your Michael Jackson."  
  
"Actually, our Michael Jackson _is_ Michael Jackson. Neang Chea comes second."  
  
Master Huang was about to elaborate when Nimol walked back into the room, helping an old man walk to the couch.  
  
Jack curiously looked at Master Huang.

If Neang Chea was _that_ old, then Master Haung should've looked much older.  
  
He didn't have time to make the calculations, though.  
  
"Who's this, Guoqiang", Chea asked, eyeing Jack. "Is this your nephew? He's a lot paler than I would have thought."  
  
Master Huang seemed horrified at the thought. "No, Jack is just keeping me company."  
  
The former Dragon seemed surprised.  
  
 "Jack", he mused, before turning to his daughter. "Nimol, take Master Huang to see Montha ~~\--~~ my grandson has grown quite tall after you last saw him, Guoqiang."  
  
The old master nodded and followed Nimol, but not before giving Jack a look that screamed ' _manners, or else_ '.  
  
  
"You're here because you want to talk to Grand Master Dashi", Chea said, after the others had left.    
  
The simple way he said it made Jack feel vulnerable and at a desperate need to fumble for excuses.  
  
"No, no, uh", he said, very unconvincingly. "I'm here to see...you?"  
  
Chea rolled his eyes. "I have been alive too long to deal with terrible lies, Jack Spicer."  
  
"How did you know?", Jack asked, deflating.  
  
"That's all what anyone who isn't Master Huang comes to visit me for", Chea explained. "You'd think life would be better for the last person Dashi had communication with, but you'd be surprised."  
  
Jack smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, that kinda isn't your thing anymore ~~\--~~ Grand Master Dashi talked to me twice in spirit form, sorry."  
  
Chea shrugged. "When was the last time?"  
  
"I don't know, almost two weeks ago?"  
  
"He spoke to me last night."  
  
Jack ignored the smug smile on Chea's face and tried to stop rolling his eyes .  
  
"Okay, so?"  
  
"So, he said you were bound to come for a visit. Also, he said something about your grandmother, but I cannot remember what."  
  
Jack had already figured out the ruse with Dashi invoking his grandmother's name, so he just shrugged.

"Did he say something else?"  
  
Chea nodded, as he took a sip of the tea his daughter had poured beforehand.  
  
 "Yes. He said that if you wish for his guidance, you have to do one simple thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Meditate."  
  
"That's it?", Jack said, waving a hand in an odd motion. "He made me go all the way to Cambodia for this?"  
  
Chea shrugged again. "He also said he was seriously angry with you for disregarding his warning and telling him to 'shove it'."  
  
Jack sighed; meditation it was.   
  
"So, I'm guessing you don't actually know anything about a Muffy Spicer?"

  
  
  
Once he returned to the temple, Jack headed to the rock garden, without even bothering to ask where the monks were.  
  
  
Surely enough, they were there, lounging in their break and having yet another one of their conversations that Jack always heard out of context.  
  
"So you're _definitely_ positive that God exists?", Kimiko was asking when Jack sat down near her.

Raimundo did a cross of a shrug and a nod.  
  
"Yeah, I mean ~~\--~~ you've _seen_ my face, right?"  
  
Jack snorted while Omi tilted his head.  
  
"That's a fair point", Omi agreed. "Completely arrogant and narcissistic, but a fair point."  
  
"Raimundo being self-involved", Jack said, looking around for a certain cowboy. "What a shocker."  
  
The aforementioned boy just shook his head, while Kimiko smirked, as she took in Jack's fidgeting.  
  
"He's showing Isaac around the temple", she said, knowingly. "On video chat."  
  
"Oh", Jack said, feeling like he caught a stomach bug. "That's ~~\--~~ wait, where did he get internet?"  
  
Kimiko shrugged.  
  
"I just set up the wifi. Password is 'sugar bunny drama', no spaces", she said, to the hysterical laughter from Raimundo and Omi.  
  
"What are they laughing about?", Jack asked, struggling not to laugh himself.  
  
"Inside joke", Kimiko said, short laughs bursting from her too. "See, _this_ is why you should always be there for breakfast."  
  
"Noted", Jack said, as Clay approached.  
  
"No, Isaac", the cowboy said to his phone, exasperatedly. "No one at the temple stole your mother's dojo's desgin ~~\--~~ it was here first!"  
  
Omi nudged Jack in the rib. "This is the second time we heard him say that ~~\--~~ nice guy, Isaac, but his aesthetics are way off."  
  
"Yeah", Jack said, unsure of whether he should laugh or be jealous. "I could tell."  
  
"Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining", they heard Isaac's voice say.  
  
"I'm not lyin', Isaac", Clay said. "And don't you dare suggest it when I know you can't tell poo from apple butter!"  
  
"Oh my God", Kimiko whispered suddenly. "There's two of them!"  
  
"It's just so fascinating to watch", Raimundo agreed. "Even my Vovô can't come up with half these things."  
  
Jack sputtered, but found nothing to say, so he decided to nod instead.  
  
"Alrigh', Issac", Clay said. "Be sure to research those Chinese colleges you told me about."  
  
"Fine", Isaac said. "I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too", Clay said, with a little smile as he hung up.  
  
He turned to look at his friends, who were all looking at him expectantly.  
  
"What?", Clay said. "Cowboy can't have a romantic side?"  
  
"That's not why we're surprised", Omi said, shaking his head. "It's just ~~\--~~ piss on my leg and call it raining?"  
  
"Don't worry, little fella", Clay said. "Just give it two more days and you'll get used to my sayings, Kim did."  
  
They all turned to look at Kimiko, who just did an ' _eh_ ' sound.  
  
"It's still annoyin", she elaborated. "But I'm not going to be starting an argument at an empty house ~~\--~~ "  
  
She paused suddenly, before giving an exaggerated gasp. "Oh shit, it's _spreading_!"  
  
Clay rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what did you do in Cambodia, Jack?"  
  
"Talked to the old Fire Dragon, pretty cool guy", Jack said, feigning nonchalance at the attention. "Talks to Dashi regularly, apparently."  
  
Omi bounced excitedly. "So, what did he say?"  
  
"He told me to meditate on it", Jack shrugged.  
  
After a few seconds of silence, Raimundo said what was on everyones' minds.

"That is so...underwhelming."  
  
"Yeah", Jack agreed, as they all looked at the dragon flying at them with a surprising speed.  
  
"What's up, Dojo?", Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Came to tell you kids to get ready", Dojo said. "We're going on a Wu retrieval tomorrow!"  
  
"Doesn't the temple have _some_ of the Wu?", Jack asked, curiously.  
  
Dojo sighed, impatiently. "You remember the Shen-Ga-Roo you and Master Huang took to visit Neang Chea?"  
  
"Literally just got out of it, so yeah?", Jack replied.  
  
"We only have that and three others", Dojo said.

The dragon paused, thoughtfully.

"Actually, come to think of it, we have five more. We didn't add the Shroud of Shadows and the Star Hanabi to the spreadsheet yet."  
  
 Jack didn't have the heart to tell him that, technically, the Shroud belonged to him, so he just nodded.  
  
Dashi was going to have to wait for now.


	9. Wu Retrieval

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References to Little House on the Prairie, Kill Bill, Rihanna, and the Spice Girls. Also there's a line from Living Single.

 

 

Jack had been already awake for three minutes before Omi unceremoniously entered his room.

  
"I would say knock", Jack began, sarcastically. "But it's not like there _is_ any door for you to knock on."  
  
Omi took the time to roll his eyes. "Come for breakfast now or you won't find any ~~\--~~ Kimiko's been up for an hour before she woke us up."  
  
That was enough to jolt Jack into full consciousness.  
  
As he got to know the Dragons better than he had ever thought he would, he discovered that the group's big eater wasn't Clay or Raimundo.  
  
It was Kimiko.  
  
He thought it was a joke at first, but after seeing her singlehandedly finish a main dish one night and nonchalantly going for second ~~\--~~ sometimes three ~~\--~~ helpings everyday, his doubts were settled.  
  
Jack went through his morning routine with lightning speed and headed to the kitchen to find the monks having breakfast.  
  
The only one who seemed more than okay was Kimiko, who was alternating between tweezing her eyebrows and finishing what looked like a second helping of rice.  
  
Omi, too, seemed more than okay, though that probably had more to do with him being a morning person than anything else.  
  
Jack smirked as he looked at the other two; Clay was grumbling under his breath and Raimundo was halfway in dreamland.  
  
After taking a look at his phone's watch, Jack sat down and started making a sandwich.  
  
"Why are we all awake?", he began. "It's barely five in the morning."  
  
Raimundo snapped out of his daydreams and jerked a thumb at Kimiko. "She woke all of us up at the ass-crack of dawn."  
  
He paused and turned to direct his glare at her. "You know what they say, _evil_ never sleeps."  
  
Kimiko nodded and gave him a smile. "But ugly gets plenty of rest."  
  
Omi laughed but sobered up quickly. "Is Dojo still asleep?"  
  
"No", Clay answered, pouring himself a glass of apple juice. "He woke up alright, but he and Master Fung are discussing something in a closed room."  
  
Jack shrugged. "So? Go get him."  
  
The monks gave united shudder, but Omi paused mid-shudder to turn to Jack like he was out of his mind.  
  
"Do you _know_ what we saw the last time we interrupted one of their discussion?"  
  
"Yeah", Kimiko added. "There are things we shouldn't see and Dojo clipping Master Fung's old man toenails is one of them."  
  
Jack flinched at the visual and tried shaking it off. "Ew, let's just let them be until they're done."  
  
"Alright, I'm done", Kimiko said, dropping her tweezers and checking her eyebrows in a small mirror. "Anyone want me to do theirs? Clay? Rai?"  
  
Clay shook his head, while Raimundo scoffed.  
  
"Please", the latter said. "I've got supermodel eyebrows."  
  
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "A little overconfident perhaps?"  
  
"No, I'm serious. I was scouted once", Raimundo said, insistently.  
  
 "No offense, partner", Clay began. "But I just don't see it."  
  
"None taken", Raimundo said, shrugging. "And since we're sharing thoughts and all, that's an ugly shirt, cowboy. No offense."  
  
"And I thought _Mahu_ was the pettiest person I've seen", Omi said.  
  
"Oh, I'm not petty", Raimundo said, holding up a finger. "I'm _defensive_ , there's a difference."  
  
"Oh, do explain", Jack said, feeling like he was going to enjoy this.  
  
"Gladly ~~\--~~ see, if it's just my looks we're talking about, it's pettiness", he said and took a small pause. "But these are the family looks, someone has to defend them from tasteless cowboys who don't know the name of the world's most popular sport."  
  
Clay huffed. "In America, we call it soccer, it's not _my_ fault!"  
  
"Actually", Kimiko said. "He's got a point there. Literally, _everyone_ in the world calls it football."  
  
Omi nodded. "It's like the metric system, easy and practical and Americans don't use it."  
  
"Are we really doing this?", Jack asked. "We're going to mock the U.S?"  
  
The three shared a look and turned back to Jack. "Yes!"  
  
Omi was about to give it another go, but Dojo flew into the room and interrupted him.  
  
"Who's ready for some Wu-getting?!", the dragon exclaimed.

Surprisingly, Jack found himself joining the monks' less than enthusiastic cheer.  
  
He didn't have much time to figure out what the hell he was thinking because the grumbling and groaning began.  
  
The compliants overlapped each other, but Jack could still make them out.  
  
"Just once I'd like to do stuff at noon, _just once_!", that was Raimundo.  
  
"Where are we going exactly and how will we know where the Shen Gong Wu are?", that was the ever-curious Omi.  
  
"Why didn't the temple keep the Wu _here_ in the first place?", Kimiko asked, trying and failing to not whine.  
  
" ~~\--~~ and where is the temple phone? I know I've seen it once or twice with Master Yang", Clay asked, adding a variety of gestures.  
  
Dojo simply looked at each of the monks, then at the ceiling in exasperation, then back at the monks.  
  
"Shut up and I'll answer you", he said, raising his voice just enough to drown the others out.  
  
They shut up.  
  
The dragon took a deep breath. "Okay, in order: in this temple, we wake up early. We couldn't keep the wu here for their safety. And _that_ is Master Yang's personal phone."  
  
Omi's eyes went back and forth before he raised a hand.  
  
Dojo sighed. "We're not in a classroom, Omi. You can talk."  
  
"Fine", Omi said, relaxing. "What about my question?"  
  
"Oh yes, that", Dojo said, sighing. "The Shen Gong Wu the Xiaolin side have are hidden in three places: Moscow, New York, and at one of our sister temples."  
  
Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "I still don't see why you couldn't have kept them here."  
  
"Weren't you listenin', little lady?", Clay said. "Dojo said it was for their safe ~~\--~~ couldn't the masters just protect them, though?"  
  
" _Thank you_!", Kimiko said. "That's my point."  
  
Dojo rolled his eyes now, something Jack didn't think he was capable of doing.  
  
"No, they can't. The masters are generally very pacifist and they never fight unless there is an absolute necessity for it."  
  
Realizing what he must have implied, Dojo added. "They didn't want to be fighting all the time."  
  
"Yeah, that's _your_ job", Jack said.  
  
"Wow, I feel so important", Raimundo said, deadpan. "We're basically..."  
  
He paused. "You know what, I'm not going to say it. When are we heading out to New York?"  
  
"Easy there", Dojo said. "We're going to Russia first."  
  
Jack had a very bad feeling about this.

"Why?"  
  
Dojo shrugged. "There's just one wu there. We'll pick it up and get going."  
  
"What kind of wu is it?", Omi asked.  
  
"The Crystal Glasses, helps you see the future", Dojo said.  
  
"Wouldn't that particular wu have made your search for us a mighty bit easier?", Clay asked. "Just a thought."  
  
Dojo sputtered a little before collecting his nerves.  
  
"No", he said, unconvincingly. "They would have...uh, crap, that's a good question."  
  
Kimiko put a hand on her cheek. "So why didn't you get it before you looked for us?"  
  
"Because we couldn't", Dojo said, mumbling that last part like he hoped they didn't hear him.  
  
They did, though, and they were surprised.  
  
"What do you mean?", both Jack and Raimundo said at the same time.  
  
Jack smiled and immediately began teasing.

"Hey, twinsies!"  
  
" _Never_ do that again", Raimundo said, turning to Dojo. "So? What do you mean you couldn't get it?"  
  
"Well, we sorta kept the Glasses with a Russian criminal ~~\--~~ actually, he didn't want to give it to us", Dojo said shrugging. "We figured he was brawny enough to kick the behind of anyone who tried to steal it."  
  
So _that_ was why Jack had a very bad feeling about Russia.  
  
"So, you just left this guy the Crystal Glasses to run around with all willy-nilly?"  
  
Dojo shook his head, insulted. "Don't be ridiculous; he uses it as part of a fortune telling gig."  
  
Jack face-palmed.  
  
"This is going to take forever", Raimundo said, with a way too cheerful smile on. "Isn't it?"  
  
Kimiko nodded.  
  
"Yup", she said, popping the 'p'. "And by the way, Clay, don't forget your lasso. I don't have enough hair for you to saw off."  
  
"See", Omi said smugly. "Told you she was still mad."

Clay scoffed. "That's not mad, that's passive aggressive, little partner."

 

* * *

 

 

  
They were walking through a crooked, tiny Moscow street, searching for any thuggish fortune-teller.

  
  
At least, that's what Jack was trying to do as he held in his desire to pee, which wasn't at all helped by Russian weather.  
  
Even though it was technically summer in Russia, it was freezing.  
  
Jack's jacket, although thicker than his usual summer jackets, failed to keep the cold from affecting him.

The monks, however, were not that bothered by the weather.  
  
Omi and Kimiko, by virtue of their elements, weren't that affected, though they did wear little jackets.  
  
Raimundo was very happy he got to wear the jacket his grandmother made him pack and Clay mentioned he'd seen tougher winters, making Jack somehow vividly remember Little House on the Prairie.  
  
Jack blindingly envied the first two, as he inadvertently began shaking to regain some warmth.  
  
"Fellas, wait a second", Clay said, stopping in front of one of the carts. "I think I found something."  
  
Dojo, curled around Omi's neck like a scarf, perked up. "Small, shaped like glasses, and giving off magical energy?"  
  
"Nope", the cowboy said, as he scanned the people around them for the vendor. "A snow globe."  
  
Jack sighed, while Dojo and the others groaned.  
  
Of course, it was a snow globe.

Clay had spent the last hour or so talking about Isaac and Isaac's hair and how Isaac loves snow globes and it was frying every last one of Jack's nerves.  
  
"You know", Kimiko said, breaking the silence. "Isaac is pretty lucky. Last guy I dated didn't even remember my birthday, and here you are stopping us on an important mission to look for a trinket for him."  
  
Clay caught the vendor's attention from the end of the street and gestured him to come over before he turned to Kimiko.  
  
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment, but I'm accepting it as one", Clay said. "Why would you date someone like that anyway?"  
  
Kimiko shrugged. "He was hot. Besides, it didn't last that long ~~\--~~ I broke up with him two months ago."  
  
Clay nodded firmly. "Good for you. Rai, how about y ~~-~~ "  
  
"Why didn't you ask me?", Omi interrupted. "I'm next in the order, Clay."  
  
Clay rolled his eyes. "Fine, Omi, are you seeing anyone?"  
  
"No", Omi said, cheerfully. "I appreciate the question, though."  
  
They all turned to Raimundo then, who just looked at them questioningly, as if he wasn't listening to the whole conversation.  
  
"Rai", Clay said. "Are _you_ seeing anyone?"  
  
He paused, before raising an eyebrow as if he just thought of something.

"Is that even a thing when you're in a circus? I don't think you'd have a big dating pool."  
  
"No, there _is_ a big dating pool in the circus", Raimundo said. "Everybody's always coming or going or running away ~~\--~~ my last girlfriend ran away like four months ago so I wasn't exactly sure if that counted as a break-up until last month."  
  
Jack was intrigued. "What happened last month?"  
  
"She sent me a text that said that counted as a break-up", Raimundo answered.  
  
"Oh", Clay said, not sure of which expression to put on. "So you're _single_?"  
  
He stressed the last word as he gave Kimiko a look, to which she only replied. "Subtle, Clay, very subtle."  
  
Jack cleared his throat, suddenly realizing something.  
  
"I, too, am single if anyone's wandering."

  
  
  
They continued on another narrow street after Clay bought the snow globe.

Jack had long since got rid of the desire to pee, but he was still cold and upset that they weren't leaving yet.  
  
At least, it wasn't quiet and it probably wouldn't be for at least ten more minutes, because Omi was on the phone with his mother.  
  
It was clearly one of those ' _yes, mom_ ' conversations, Jack knew, because Omi kept repeating the same phrase in Mandarin, while looking extremely dejected.  
  
"Transcends language boundaries", Clay had said when Jack mentioned it to him.  
  
  
"Hey, O", Raimundo began. "Careful, you're gonna hit that...guy."  
  
Omi had already smashed, face-first, into the big guy in front of him.

"Are you okay?", Kimiko said, helping Omi off the ground. "And _you_ , watch it!"  
  
The big guy turned around. "He hit _me_."  
  
The minute the guy turned around, Jack knew that karma was real and it definitely had a vengeance against him.  
  
It was Vlad, of course, dressed the exact same way he was when Jack first saw him. The only difference was the crystal ball he was holding.  
  
Kimiko was about to take another shot at him, but Dojo interrupted. "There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!"  
  
Jack grimaced, as Vlad's eyes widened.  
  
"Why?", he only managed to say, crystal ball trembling.  
  
Dojo crossed his arms. "For the Glasses, no duh!"  
  
Vlad looked around him, possibly calculating the fastest escape route, before he looked at the gang again and realized he was outnumbered.  
  
Deflating, he sighed. "We talk in my office."  


  
Jack tried to hide his scrutiny as he looked around Vlad's office, which was only small room in rundown building.  
  
"Some office you got here", Raimundo said, not bothering with courtesies.  
  
"Abandoned buildings make fortune telling career more mystical", Vlad said, scoffing. "I don't know why I bother with you _Americans_."  
  
Now it was Raimundo's turn to sound disdainful. "American? Take it back!"  
  
Vlad smirked and faced Dojo. "You said you want glasses?"  
  
"Yes, the Crystal Glasses", Dojo repeated. "Now, please."  
  
Vlad nodded and went to the cabinet, which Jack found suspicious.  
  
 It was way too easy and Vlad was sneakier than this, even if he didn't seem like it at first.  
  
"These are your glasses?"  
  
Vlad was holding a pair of normal crystal glasses, dangling them by their string, in front of Dojo.  
  
"No, they're not. We don't want crystal glasses, we want _the_ Crystal Glasses!"  
  
Vlad feigned ignorance. "I don't see how 'the' makes difference?"  
  
Dojo was about to argue, but Omi clamped his mouth shut.  
  
"He means, we want the Shen Gong Wu, not some regular glasses."  
  
"Afraid I can't help", Vlad shrugged. "Glasses lost."  
  
Dojo tore Omi's hand off his mouth.  
  
"What do you mean you lost the Crystal Glasses?! You were supposed to keep an eye on them, they're one of the most important wu there is!"  
  
Vlad gave another shrug. "Oops."  
  
Clay sat on on of the chairs and a bored, but resigned expression overcame him.  
  
"Partner, you know we ain't goin' anywhere without those glasses."  
  
"And you better cough them quickly", Kimiko added. "I'm known for an _extremely_ short temper."  
  
Vlad looked around him, trying to think his way out.  
  
Finally he sighed and seemed to deflate a little.

"Fine, wait here."  
  
Kimiko seemed pleased with herself and immediately began to gloat the minute Vlad shut the door behind him.  
  
"See that?", she said, hands on her hips. "I get shit done. Know why? Because I'm smart and a go-getter and ~~\--~~ "  
  
Raimundo interrupted her. "Is that why you let him lock us in?"  
  
"What?", Kimiko said, voice getting lower. "He locked us in? Why didn't you say anything?!"  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "You looked like you had a plan."  
  
Omi face-palmed and Dojo just sighed and began flying through the room on his back.  
  
"Oh how the mighty have fallen", Clay said, to Kimiko's indignation. "We need to figure this out now, though, fellas."  
  
Jack and Omi simultaneously came to the same idea. "The Star Hanabi!"  
  
Kimiko grabbed the Star from Clay and directed it at the door. "Star Hanabi fire!"  
  
The Star let out an impressive fire, but when it disappeared, the door was barely scorched.  
  
Mouth gaping, Kimiko went to the door and wrapped on it twice.  
  
"It's metal", she said, shocked. "What kind of idiot makes a door out of metal?!"  
  
"The kind that really doesn't want you, uh, us to leave", Jack said.  
  
It was a suspicion he'd had since he stepped foot into the small room.  
  
The room was hastily set and was barely furnished and it wasn't due to aesthetic reasons.  
  
Vlad knew they were coming all along, which shouldn't have really surprised them, since he literally had a future-telling wu.

"We won't die in here, right?", Raimundo asked. "Someone will find us."  
  
"I don't think so", Kimiko said, holding up her phone. "This is literally the only spot in Russia where I don't have service."  
  
Jack took one deep breath and another one immediately after.  
  
Suddenly the small room felt a lot smaller and the people felt greater than its capacity.  
  
He wasn't the only one feeling trapped and anxious, apparently.  
  
Omi, too, was pacing back and forth, taking loud deep breaths.  
  
"Hey, hey", Clay said, in an effort to calm him down. "It's gonna be alright, partner, we're gonna get out."  
  
Omi groaned. "Yes, but what if we die here?"  
  
"We won't die here."  
  
"Raimundo said we might."  
  
" _Raimundo_ should've kept his mouth shut", Clay said, glaring at the aforementioned boy. "It's not like he knows much."  
  
"I know an eighteen year-old has lived a full life", Raimundo said, not bothering to hide the threatening undertone.  
  
Clay rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Omi, it's gonna be alrigh ~~\--~~ "  
  
"There is so much I haven't done", Omi said. "I never got a tattoo...or, or my first kiss yet! I'm going to die with nothing crossed off my bucket list!"  
  
"Wow", Raimundo said, rubbing his ear. "Keep that up and you'll beat my Aunt Fernanda when she discovered Mom forgot to baptize me!"  
  
He paused and rubbed his ear again.

"Besides, I can help you with that ~~\--~~ turn fifteen and I'll take you to get your first tattoo. And I can set you up with my brother Joaquim, he's your age."  
  
Jack was shocked that the very casual attempt at calming down Omi actually worked.  
  
He stopped pacing and looked at Raimundo questioningly. "Why fifteen?"  
  
"I don't know", Raimundo said, tilting his head. "That's how things are in my place. No tattoos until your fifteen and don't turn the oven on unless there's an adult present. "  
  
He paused. "I don't think the second rule applies to me now. Huh."   
  
Jack shook his head and looked at the other two Dragons.  
  
Clay seemed to be doing well, even if he was adorably twisting a piece of rope like he was strangling it.

Kimiko, on the other hand, looked increasingly desperate.   
  
"Oh my God, I'm Nami!", She said suddenly, lifting her head from her hands.  
  
None of the boys said anything until Omi broke the silence.  
  
"Yeah", he began. "Just keep going; we don't need context."  
  
Kimiko huffed and groaned a little.

"It's just...we always thought my cousin Nami was going to be the one doing stuff that would put her in mortal danger, but she got married straight out of college and now she passed the curse to me."  
  
She narrowed her eyes at no one in particular. " _Typical_ Nami."  
  
"None of you do well in confined spaces, huh?", Dojo said rather than asked.  
  
"I'm glad someone else noticed it", Jack agreed.  
  
He was about to add something else when Clay shushed him. "You hear that?"  
  
The other monks and Jack strained their ears. It sounded like a car parking in front of the building.  
  
There wasn't any windows for them to tell who it was, but Jack could feel the sticky presence overwhelming the room as it got closer.  
  
"Wuya", Jack said at the same time Omi said, "Evil".

  
  
  
The door opened abruptly and Vlad entered the room followed by Ashley and Wuya.  
  
"Cat Fetish", Raimundo announced. "This day just keeps getting better and better."  
  
Ashley ignored him. "This is where you kept the glasses? Charming."  
  
Jack snorted before he knew what he was doing. Ashley immediately turned on him.  
  
"Oh, if it isn't the disgrace to all Heylin", she said, snarling. " _Of course_ , you're helping the Xiaolin losers."  
  
Crossing his arms, Jack tried thinking of a retort.  
  
"Maybe you should take notice", Kimiko said. "Jack started dressing better when he hanged out with us."  
  
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Where are the Glasses, Dimitri?"  
  
"My name is Vlad", Vlad corrected, exasperatedly. "And they're here."  
  
He reached into his shirt and pulled out  the Crystal Glasses.  
  
"They're literal rose-colored glasses", Omi said. "Who knew?"  
  
Vlad dangled the Glasses over his head. "How much you pay?"

There was silence for a few moments.  
  
"Fifty Russian whatever-your-currency-is", Ashley offered.  
  
"It's Russian ruble", Vlad corrected. "And I want American dollars."  
  
"Fine, fifty dollars", she said, rolling her eyes.  
  
Kimiko saw an opening. "A hundred dollars!"  
  
Ashley's mouth gaped incredulously, while Kimiko just shrugged. "What? It's fair game."  
  
Not one to be upstaged, Ashley added. "A hundred and fifty."  
  
"Two hundred", Kimiko yawned.  
  
"Two fifty!"  
  
"Three hundred."  
  
Ashley sighed. "Four ~~\--~~ "  
  
"I want money in cash", Vlad interrupted.  
  
Both girls looked sucker-punched, but they soon started looking for money.  
  
"Alright, so that's one, two", Ashley began counting. "I have two hundred and ten dollars."  
  
Ashley offered the money to Vlad, who gestured for her to wait as they both looked at the other bidder, counting her money.  
  
Kimiko was taking hundred dollar bills out of her bra, to the shock of most and the sheer delight of some.  
  
She silently counted the bills. "I got three hundred."  
  
The stares continued. "What? I didn't bring a bag and I don't have any pockets."  
  
Shaking his head, Vlad took the money from Kimiko, who expectantly held out her hand.  
  
Ashley jumped for the Glasses and touched them as they landed in Kimiko's grip, suddenly resulting in a strange glow.  
  
"What's happening?", Kimiko asked. "What is this? Is it going to blow?"  
  
Ashley looked worried. "Wuya?"  
  
"It's a Xiaolin showdown", the Dojo explained. "You're supposed to fight for the wu ~~\--~~ Kimiko challenge her."  
  
"Okay", Kimiko said, voice unsure. "I challenge you to a...Xiaolin showdown?"  
  
Ashley shrugged. "Cool, I guess."  
  
"Make a wager", Dojo prompted.  
  
"Ten bucks", Ashley said.  
  
Wuya flailed her tendrils around. "A _Shen Gong Wu_ wager!"  
  
"Oh", Ashley said. "Then I wager the jetbootsu against your..?"  
  
"Star Hanabi", Kimiko finished. "But what kind of challenge can we do here? This place is so tiny we can only, like, backflip from one tacky tile to the next."  
  
Kimiko was barely done with her sentence before the world re-warped into something pretty standard for Xiaolin showdowns, yet strange nonetheless.  
  
The floor cracked and each one of the ugly tiles Kimiko wasn't fond of levitated on a different level, each higher than the one before.  
  
In a blink, Jack suddenly found himself and the others on makeshift sidelines while the two competitors stood on neighboring tiles.  
  
"Whoa", Kimiko said. "This is the weirdest thing I've seen and I've seen white anime nerds in Japan."  
  
Dojo shuddered. "Freaky. Anyway, Gong yi tan pai, kids!"  
  
The two girls just looked at him.  
  
"What?", Ashley asked.  
  
The dragon sighed. "That means 'go'."  
  
  
  
They didn't need to be told twice. Ashley and Kimiko immediately began their flips.  
  
"Jetbootsu!", Ashley yelled, effortlessly floating to the next tile.  
  
"This is very unfair", Kimiko grumbled as she got through her flips with no help at all.  
  
Jack was bouncing on the edge of his seat, even though he knew he shouldn't really worry at all.  
  
He knew from many observations, during those past few weeks alone, that Kimiko was good with backflips, mostly due to all the impromptu gymnastics competitions the monks had him judge.  
  
Ashley, though, wasn't that good with backflips, but that didn't matter much when she currently had the power to defy gravity.  
  
  
They were nearing the end of the tiles when Kimiko suddenly yelled something with the Star Hanabi in her mouth.  
  
It was unintelligible, but the wu clearly understood it because the next thing Jack knew Kimiko was breathing fire at Ashley.  
  
"Oh my God!", Ashley exclaimed, as she jumped out of the fire range and fell on to the floor.  
  
That was Kimiko's intention apparently, because her smile almost made the Star fall out of her mouth.  
  
There was another blank as the world reformed and the tiles went back in place.  
  
Kimiko stood in the middle of the room, holding all three wu, and looking extremely disoriented.  
  
"That was weird", she said finally, as the other Dragons cheered.

"It looked like an acid trip", Raimundo agreed. "But you did it!"  
  
"Now we have two more wu to add to the spreadsheet", Dojo said. "Jack, remind me to tell Master Luong when we get back."  
  
Jack nodded. "Sure, but isn't Master Luong on a trip back home?"  
  
Dojo waved him off before he could say anything else.  
  
"Just because I lost doesn't mean I won't try to steal what I came here for", Ashley said, pouncing on the happy gathering.  
  
Kimiko was faster. "Clay!", she warned, as she threw him the Glasses.  
  
Clay caught it effortlessly and, as soon as Ashley came his way, threw it to Raimundo.  
  
"This isn't funny", Ashley whined, as she tried and failed to catch the Glasses.  
  
"Throw it here!", Omi yelled as he held his hands up high.  
  
"Can't", Raimundo yelled back. "You're too short ~~\--~~ Kimiko!"  
  
Said girl giggled as she attempted to catch the flying wu before Dojo flew into the air and caught the Glasses with his tongue.  
  
A deafening screech drowned out all sounds.  
  
"You absolute moron!", Wuya yelled in a strained voice. "You swallowed a powerful Shen Gong Wu!"  
  
Dojo burped. "As long as the Crystal Glasses are out of evil hands, we didn't lose anything."  
  
The dragon's eyes shone suddenly.  
  
"By the way, Raimundo, you're going to do well on your midterms."

 

* * *

 

 

  
  
As Dojo flew them closer to New York, Jack saw the monks start undressing.

  
  
They were all simple changes, really: just sweaters and coats discarded and switched for shirts packed in Omi's backpack.  
  
 Even Kimiko just styled her red wig into twin buns, instead of changing it into the spare wig she packed.  
  
Jack also joined in and switched his winter jacket for a summer one.  
  
"Wow", Omi said, fixing some hairs in his Afro. "I'm starting to respect your commitment to this look, Jack."  
  
"Thanks", Jack said, a little surprised at the complement. "Same to you, I guess."  
  
  
He meant it, too.  
  
Omi in this dimension had a closet that he could only describe as being too good for a fourteen year-old boy, or at least better than the closet Jack had when he was fourteen.  
  
Jack slowly drifted back to the current conversation.  
  
"You're a liar", Raimundo was saying. "There is no way in hell you were old enough to inspire that look!"  
  
"What's happening?", Jack asked.  
  
Clay shrugged. "Nothin' much. Kimiko here is lying about being the inspiration behind that Kill Bill jumpsuit."  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Raimundo's right, you _are_ a liar."  
  
"I was a fan of yours for quite some time", Omi began, guiltily. "But even I have to agree, this is a little far-fetched."  
  
Kimiko was insulted. "I said _a_ Tohomiko Kimiko was the inspiration; I didn't say it was _me_!"  
  
"Oh", said the guys at different decibles.  
  
"You mean it was, like, an auntie of yours?", Raimundo asked, curiously.  
  
Kimiko shook her head. "No, it was my mother."  
  
"So you're technically Kimiko Junior?", Jack asked, throwing all caution out the window.  
  
"Call me that one more time and you better sleep with one eye open", Kimiko answered, smiling. "But yeah, she's my namesake ~~\--~~ she was a game developer too."  
  
"Cool", Omi said. "Did she design anything we play?"  
  
"No", Kimiko said, shaking her head. "All her games were like two decades ago. She's kinda dead."  
  
Clay patted her on the shoulder. "Sorry, Kim."  
  
Kimiko waved it off. "I got over it; she died before I was born."  
  
No one knew what to say to that, mainly because no one thought they heard her correctly.  
  
After a few seconds, Jack decided to ask the question.  
  
"I'm sorry, did you say your mom died _before_ you were born?"  
  
"Yeah", Kimikp said, nodding. "Two years before I was born, actually. She ~~\--~~ "  
  
Raimundo interrupted her. "I _knew_ it. Too cute to not have a catch ~~\--~~ you're a demon baby. Clay, I owe you a chore."  
  
"Yes, you do", Clay said, smugly.  
  
Jack could tell from her expression that Kimiko didn't know whether to laugh or yell.  
  
"I had a surrogate ~~\--~~ look, it's a long story and...you _bet_ that I was a demon baby?"  
  
Omi raised his hands defensively. "I kept out of that bet!"

"You know I was betting that you were _not_ a demon baby, right?", Raimundo asked.

  
  
The arguing continued all the way to New York, with occasional breaks to discuss weird familial anecdotes or the amount of chores Master Fung probably had for them back at the temple.  
  
Dojo finally parked himself in a narrow New York alley and shrank to regular size, making everyone on him fall on their behinds.  
  
"Thanks for that, Dojo", Omi said, getting up and rubbing his back. "Very unnecessary, though, and..."  
  
He paused suddenly when he turned around and discovered they were not alone in the alley.  
  
The old man watching them had his mouth agape and had dropped his trash bag in shock.  
  
"Um, oh", Omi articulately began. "Pretend you didn't see that."  
  
The old man shrugged. "Just what I wish I can do about half the things I see in this city."  
  
"Cool, we'll be going then", Jack said, dragging the youngest monk away and into the street.

  
  
After the brief lunch they had at the nearest pizza place they could find, Dojo led the way to the Shen Gong Wu hideout.  
  
"It's not at another former Dragon's place, is it?", Jack asked.  
  
"No", Dojo said. "Well, not exactly."  
  
"Whaddya mean, little fella?", Clay asked.  
  
"We're going to the home of a former Dragon's _son_ ", the dragon explained. "He's at a business trip at the moment so we'll just be dealing with his family ~~\--~~ got some very sweet kids."  
  
As they continued on their way to the former Metal Dragon's son's apartment, Dojo gave more information about the ' _very sweet kids_ '.  
  
They were around the monks' ages and they were very bright and would probably be magnificent additions to the temple.  
  
"In fact", Dojo added. "About twenty-five percent of the old masters thought one of them was the new Dragon of Metal before we discovered it was just the parentage."

  
They finally arrived to their destination, after what Jack thought was way too much exposure to the New York subway.  
  
"I told Ms. Lee that we have four _well-adjusted_ monks and a _semi-normal_ tag-along", Dojo said. "Please don't embarrass me."  
  
"Personally", Raimundo said, with a mischievous grin Jack was beginning to find endearing. "I won't make any promises."  
  
Dojo frowned. "Then I guess I won't make any promises not to ground you."  
  
"You can't ground me", Raimundo said. "Nobody ever grounded me."  
  
Clay pursed his lips. "We can tell."  
  
Raimundo looked like he was going to say something, but instead did something Jack never knew he was capable of: he shut up.  
  
The door opened before Jack could comment on it.  
  
A dark-skinned woman opened the door and looked at them confused before she noticed Dojo perched on Clay's hat.  
  
"You must be the Xiaolin people", she began. "I'm Maxine Lee, Anthony isn't here, but I'm guessing he told you."  
  
Dojo floated into the apartment and was followed by the rest of the gang.  
  
"You know, Max", he said, as he chose another perch on Maxine's shoulder. "You look younger every time I see you!"   
  
Maxine waved him off and rolled her eyes before turning to the others.  
  
"You must be the new Dragons", she said, hands on her hips. "You especially look like a Water Dragon."  
  
She was gesturing at Kimiko, who shook her head. "No, I'm the Fire Dragon actually..or I will be."  
  
"Fire is a wonderful element", Maxine said, with a wink. "The most useful there is." 

 

  
  
After a brief snack in the kitchen, where all the proper introductions were made, Maxine called someone on the phone.  
  
She held it off her ear as she waited for the caller to answer.  
  
"So, Dojo", Maxine said, curiously. "You're still a Metal Dragon short."  
  
"Yeah", Dojo answered, sadly. "We haven't stumbled on anyone who had any semblance of that element since your son."  
  
He paused a little. "It's probably for the best ~~\--~~ I still think Janine Lee was the best we ever had."  
  
"Who's Janine Lee?", Clay asked.  
  
Dojo's chest puffed with pride. "The last Metal Dragon. I told you about her, but of course, you _never_ pay any attention to me."

"She was my mother-in-law", Maxine said. "A phenomenonal woman, who ~~\--~~ yes, hey, you were supposed to be home an hour ago!"  
  
Raimundo smirked. "Your kid, Ms. Lee?"  
  
Maxine nodded, attempting a smile that fell when she heard the answer from the other line.  
  
"Yes, that's my daugh ~~\--~~ since when do you even hang out with Lila? Get your brother and come home. _Now_."  
  
She promptly hung up and turned to the monks.  
  
"They'll be here soon and they'll be the ones showing you all the wu. I'm late for work."

 

  
Maxine left Dojo, the monks, and Jack alone at her apartment barely five minutes after she called her daughter, who was still a no-show.  
  
"I'm bored", Omi said, after an hour had passed. " _And_ hungry."  
  
Jack shrugged. "Just get something from the fridge."  
  
"Everyday I spend with you I discover you know nothing about manners", Kimiko said, snidely. "You don't just raid the fridge of someone you don't know."  
  
"But he's hungry", Jack defended. "There's got to be some kind of rule about that."  
  
Clay twisted his little piece of rope around his finger.

"I reckon around these parts they just call it waiting for someone to come home, partner."  
  
Jack scoffed, but said nothing.  
  
He did have a few retorts in mind, but it wouldn't feel right using them when Clay was having one of his rare moments without his hat on.  
  
It didn't mean that no one else was going to miss that chance, though.  
  
"You know, dude, I didn't notice it before", Raimundo said, sounding too serious. "But you got some stringy hair. Like, stringy as _fuck_."  
  
Clay rolled his eyes. "You don't make fun of a man's hair, Raimundo."  
  
"Please", Kimiko quipped. "If I didn't make fun of a man's hair every five seconds I'd die."  
  
Omi got up suddenly and did a fake gasp.  
  
"So _that's_ why Jack's presence is extremely important!"  
  
 Jack tried hard to make himself heard over the laughter. "Ha ha, very funny guys."  
  
Kimiko nodded and would have probably added something if the doorbell hadn't rang.

 

Dojo hurriedly flied to the door and answered it. "Hey, kiddos, long time no see!"  
  
"Dojo!", came the chorus from two Black teenagers, who looked somewhat like Maxine.  
  
The first was a girl about Jack's age and the other was a younger face he instantly recognized.  
  
"Jermaine?", Jack asked, incredulously. "What are you doing here?!"  
  
Jermaine was at a loss for words. "I live here, weirdo."  
  
Dojo chose that as the time for much needed introductions.  
  
"Don't mind him, kids. He gets less weird as time goes on", he began. "Anyway, that's Clay, Kimiko, Raimundo, Omi, and the weird boy is Jack."  
  
The monks and Jack all gave their ' _hellos_ ' ~~\--~~ Jack didn't miss the stutter and the neck scratch that came with Omi's ~~\--~~ and waited for Dojo to introduce the other two.  
  
"And those are Janine and Jermaine Lee", Dojo said. "Maxine and Anthony's kids and the Metal Dragon's grandkids."  
  
Janine and Jermaine said ' _hellos_ ' of their own and soon enough, a slightly awkward silence settled over the room.  
  
"So", Janine said, dragging out the word. "Who's hungry?"  
  
An uproar of ' _yes'_ s and ' _me_ 's filled the silence and Janine exhaled a sigh of relief as she said something about ordering pizza and went to the kitchen.   
  
'"I'll go get us something to drink then", Jermaine offered, already halfway through the door. "Does anyone want anything?"   
  
"No, partner", Clay answered. "Just go ahead."   
  
The minute Jermaine left, a silence of an entirely different type settled in.   
  
"She's cute", both Kimiko and Raimundo said in almost identical tones.   
  
They regarded each other with a vague interest before Raimundo broke the ice.   
  
"Okay then", he said, nodding. "I see you."  
  
Jack scrunched his face in confusion as somehow the two came into a wordless agreement and headed to the kitchen.   
  
"What's happening?", he asked no one in particular.   
  
"I got no idea", Clay said. "Can you tell, Omi? Omi?"   
  
Omi paid them no one, as he continued staring at the door as if Jermaine was going to pop back in at any second.

"That's going to be one hell of a lunch", Dojo said, casually. 

  
  
  
Dojo was soon proven wrong.   
  
Despite the initial awkwardness, lunch was a success so incredible that Jack almost thought they were all different people.   
  
Of course that might have had something to do with the fact three of them ~~\--~~ Janine, Raimundo, and Kimiko ~~\--~~ had spent nearly an hour in the kitchen doing God-knows-what before actually ordering those pizzas.   
  
Those three were also the ones who carried the conversation whenever it lagged. 

  
Interesting conversations were all surrounding the kitchen table.   
  
"And that's how I met Rihanna for the first time", Kimiko said, finishing a story that involved a starfish, hoop earrings, and a fake ID.   
  
Janine was impressed. "Wow, that's so...you're a very good storyteller. You have Snapface?"   
  
"Duh", Kimiko said, snorting a little. "Give me your phone."   
  
"Do you have Rihanna's Snapface?", Raimundo asked, a little curious. "Just wondering."   
  
Kimiko nodded. "Yeah, I can ask her if I can give you her handle ~~\--~~ she's pretty fun."   
  
"See, Nina", Raimundo said, already coming up with nicknames. "Told you, favorite monk, right there."   
  
Jack snorted. "You have a new favorite every week!"   
  
"You do?", Janine asked.   
  
"No, Nina, that's Monk of the Week", Raimundo explained. "It's completely different ~~\--~~ it just gets people to subconsciously do things for you."   
  
"Does it _work_?"   
  
"It worked on all my older siblings, I don't see why it would fail me now."   
  
Jack rolled his eyes and decided to join the other conversation between Clay, Omi, and Jermaine.   
  
" ~~\--~~ and that's how you lasso a live target", Clay said. "About as easy as my Aunt Molly attacking a wild bull with sandal and one of those strappy belts"   
  
"What the _hell_ are you talking about?", Jack asked before he knew what his mouth was doing. "And what brought your aunt Molly into it?"   
  
Jermaine shushed him. "Let him finish, I've never been so entranced in my whole life."   
  
"Thank you, Jermaine", Clay said, frowning at Jack. "And you better not say my aunt's name in vain, Spicer ~~\--~~ she put the Molly in mollywhopped."   
  
"You have a lot of interesting relatives, Clay", Omi said, long since beating his stutter around Jermaine. "He has another aunt, named Betsy, and she sounds _wicked_. Also, his father is ~~\--~~ "  
  
Jack tuned him out when he realized that the excited chattering was clearly meant for the increasingly intrigued Jermaine.   
  
"You okay with him blabbering about your family like that?", Jack whispered, nudging Clay in the ribs.   
  
Clay shrugged. "Yes, I am. Ain't a thing sweeter than a little feller with a crush."   
  
"Now Raimundo won't have to set him up on a date", Dojo agreed. "So it all worked out great for everyone ~~\--~~ well, except for Joaquim."   


  
They headed to the room the Lees stored the Shen Gong Wu in immediately after lunch.   
  
It was a rather nicely kept room with shelves upon shelves of Shen Gong Wu.   
  
Jack recognized the Woozy Shooter and the Fancy Feet, among others.   
  
"That's a whole lotta' wu", Clay casually commented.   
  
Dojo agreed. "The spreadsheet is going to be _full_."   
  
  
The Lee siblings knew their way around the wu in ways Jack didn't even think the monks in the original dimension knew.   
  
They knew which wu to combine and get the best results out of and which wu to _never_ combine unless they wanted to spend weeks at the hospital.   
  
"The Golden Tiger Claws are my favorite", Janine said, grabbing the Claws off a shelf. "I had the time of my life at Coney Island _and_ went back to school before anyone marked my absence. Like that!"   
  
"Cool", Omi said, genuinely interested. "And what's your favorite, Jermaine?"   
  
Jermaine scratched his neck. "It's not the coolest wu."   
  
"But..?", Omi prompted.   
  
Jermained huffed and drew a fake-annoyed expression.   
  
"Well, if you insist", he said, grabbing another wu off the shelf. "I really like this one ~~\--~~ I don't know why, but I just do."   
  
Dojo nodded fondly. "The Orb of Tornami. Solid choice."   
  
"What does it do?", Kimiko asked. "Looks water-based."   
  
"It is", Dojo said. "It unleashes floods of water."

"You know", Omi said, smiling a little shyly. "I happen to be the Water Dragon."   
  
Jermaine raised an eyebrow. "In training, don't forget."   
  
"You may have made me lost the ability to speak a little, but my memory is still pretty sharp."   
  
"Smooth. How long have you been holding on to that one?"   
  
"Pretty much all day."   
  
"Should have just said it from the beginning." 

  
The interaction carried on with Jack, Janine, and the monks observing.   
  
Clay was smiling. "Now isn't that just sweet?"   
  
"Totally", Kimiko agreed. "Baby's first boyfriend!"   
  
"Coincidentally", Janine said, leaning on Kimiko. "Jay's first boyfriend too."   
  
Raimundo nodded. "Kinda reminds me of my first boyfriend too, the asshole."   
  
He was silent for a few seconds before he noticed everyone was still waiting for an explanation.   
  
"Broke my heart and moved to São Paulo", he explained.   
  
"Bummer", Kimiko said.   
  
Raimundo smirked. "Yeah, wanna hold me later tonight to help me get over it?"   
  
"Smooth", Jack said, snorting.   


  
Three hours later, the monks were still getting to know the Shen Gong Wu.   
  
Jack tried to hold in his quips about irony when he noticed that they all went to wu that they frequently used in the other dimension.   
  
Kimiko was enjoying the Eye of Dashi on impromptu targets and Omi was learning the pressure levels of the Orb of Tornami by refilling an empty fish tank.   
  
Raimundo had forgotten all his comments about the uselessness of a sword that doesn't even stab as he got into a play-fight with the Sword of the Storm against Janine and her air-sword skills.   
  
And Clay, naturally, went straight ahead to the Lasso Boa Boa.   
  
"It's moments like these when I truly enjoy my job", Dojo said, relaxing as he wrapped himself around Jack's neck.   
  
Jack nodded, fully aware of his agreement.   
  
He couldn't deny that, even though he was initially averse to it, bringing the monks together and watching them get back to where they were was somehow rewarding.   
  
He felt like he had passed a test that he hadn't studied for. And it certainly gave him a new appreciation of his only frenemies.   
  
It was a new feeling, calling them losers and not being particularly malicious about it. It was a wobbly sort of camaraderie, it was ~~\--~~  
  
Broken by their constant squabbling.   
  
"Hey", Raimundo yelled, facing Kimiko. "Watch it, Wigs Jagger, you almost scorched my ass off!"   
  
Kimiko looked sorry at first until she heard the nickname. "Who are you calling Wigs Jagger, _Sporty Spice_?!"   
  
To say Raimundo was insulted would have been putting it lightly; Jack could honestly say at that point that he's never seen him more indignant in his life.   
  
"I'm a Posh Spice and you know it!"   
  
"Well right now you're acting like a Baby Spice so get over yourself!"   
  
Kimiko's last retort only succeeded in making Raimundo start a long-winded rant about how Omi was clearly Baby Spice because he was the youngest.   
  
After he was done, Kimiko then said that _she_ was clearly the Posh Spice of her group and drowned out all of Omi's protests about how unfair their decisions were because Scary Spice was his favorite.   
  
Jack decided to butt in to avoid the Dragons from embarrassing themselves ~~\--~~ and consequently, him ~~\--~~ in front of their new friends.   
  
"Guys, can you stop this...whatever the hell this is", Jack interrupted.   
  
They shut up for exactly three seconds before Kimiko got in the last word.   
  
"At least there's one thing we can agree on", she began with a smirk. "Jack is Ginger Spice."    
  
Jack sighed and tried to ignore the suddenly harmonious agreement of everyone in the room.   
  
"Are they always like this?", Jermaine asked, struggling to keep his smile from spreading.   
  
Jack shrugged. "Pretty much." 

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
In a way too neat teenage girl's bedroom, Wuya floated over Ashley, as she flopped on her bed to recover from the Russian trip. 

  
  
"That was humiliating", Ashley said. "I was beaten by a girl who models for a company that doesn't know how to do diet sodas!"   
  
Wuya couldn't hide her disappointment. "You should have been able to beat her with your _cat-like_ reflexes."

Ashley huffed. "I got my teeth altered not my cheerleading skills."   
  
She turned to lay on her stomach. "What I don't understand is why you didn't let me run after them."   
  
"With the Crystal Glasses gone", Wuya said, disgusted at the memory. "There is only one way to attain victory."   
  
Ashley waited for the witch to continue.   
  
"Which is..?"   
  
Wuya sighed. "Patience, Katnappe. You will see soon enough."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- They're bi
> 
> \- Pretty sure everyone has at least 50 weird family stories
> 
> \- I'm very fond of writing Omi as the kid who's trying to act tougher and older than his age so he can impress his older friends
> 
> (I feel like this took too long because I was trying to come up with a good showdown) 
> 
> \- Jermaine has a pretty big role in this story


	10. The Shen Gong Wu Warrior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- There's a joke from Friends and a reference to Star Wars and X-Men
> 
> \- mentions of asphyxiation

 

 

Jack and the Xiaolin team ended up staying the night, and possibly overstaying their welcome, at the Lees' apartment.

All in all, Ms. Lee wasn't at all upset. In fact, she was very excited.  
  
"Are you kidding?", Maxine had told Jack when he went to apologize. "I never get to see much of that Xiaolin stuff ~~\--~~ Anthony has a rule about magic around the house."  
  
Jack had sighed in relief after that and even offered to help out around the house to show gratitude.  
  
Even if he was evil, his mother had still managed to instill a few manners into him.  
  
When Ms. Lee gave him an once-over and told him, with a worried smile, to just hang out with the others in the Shen Gong Wu room, Jack had simply nodded and followed her request.

 

Dojo was now quizzing the monks on the various wu they've practiced with.

  
Judging from the fact that the dragon was floating in front of Raimundo's face with an intent look, it was probably his turn.  
  
"Okay, so that", Raimundo was saying, pointing at the wu in Janine's hand. "Is Instant Transportation."  
  
He then pointed at the wu Omi was holding.

"And that's Pool Party Just Add Water."  
  
Dojo was face-palming, but that really didn't deter Raimundo. "And that's Really Great At Parties."  
  
Jack knew from both Raimundo and the others' laughter that he was just messing around, but he couldn't help but feel horrified.  
  
"You do know their actual names, right?", he asked, announcing himself.  
  
Before anyone could say anything, Dojo began in an indignant, high voice.  
  
"That's the Golden Tiger Claws, Orb of Tornami, and the Woozy Shooter!"  
  
"C'mon, Dojo", Clay said. "He's just yanking your chain ~~\--~~ we're having a little fun."  
  
Dojo looked like he was about to have a meltdown.  
  
 He opened his mouth, but closed it again and floated out of the room, muttering something about _'the immortal evil witch bringing about the end of the world'_ and how he's _'getting too old for this, I need to retire'_.  
  
The minute the dragon was finally out of the room, Jack turned to the others.  
  
"You know what wu you're really missing out on? Instant Monkey!"  
  
Janine gave him a look. "There's no wu called that."  
  
"Yeah, I know", Jack said, sighing. "It's called the Monkey Staff, very fun actually. I remem ~~-~~ "  
  
Kimiko had her hands on her hips. "Why would anyone want to be a monkey?"  
  
Jack exaggerated a gasp. "You take that back!"

  
The rest of the day went pretty well, if Jack could say so himself.  
  
Dojo had eventually cooled off, though he remained at Maxine's side ~~\--~~ well, shoulder ~~\--~~ the entire day, trading stories about their respective kids.  
  
"I was the most venerable temple guardian", Jack overheard Dojo say on his way to the bathroom. "Now I'm a babysitter!"

  
  
The others weren't that bothered by the dragon's leaving.

In fact, they seemed to be having more fun than ever.  
  
Omi and Jermaine remained suspiciously close during the rest of the day, trading cutesy flirting back and forth in a manner that even Jack was willing to admit was adorable.  
  
Kimiko, Raimundo, and Janine, too, remained suspiciously close, though Jack couldn't really prove anything until he heard them sneaking out after bedtime.

During all the emotion that seemed to suffocate the room, Jack found himself partnered up with Clay, most often than not; something that really put his stomach in a knot.  
  
"What's the matter, partner?", Clay asked the first and only time they were left completely alone. "You look a little green."  
  
Jack tried for a cover. "Oh, it's nothing...it's just, uh, Raimundo uses so much cologne, it makes me sick."  
  
He tried to not phrase it as a question he's unsure of, but the cowboy still quirked his eyebrow.  
  
"Makes you sick and you get real nervous talking about it? Partner, don't be alarmed and all, but I'm thinking you might have a crush on our resident prankster."  
  
Jack hadn't seen this coming by a mile; that cowboy truly was oblivious sometimes.  
  
"What? I don't have a crush on R ~~\--~~ "  
  
Clay held up both hands. "Hey, I'm not saying anything! My lips are sealed."

 

 

After dinner, Jermaine and Omi rushed into the living room with so much energy they alerted everyone that they weren't there in the first place   
  
Omi was a little flushed and was panting a little, but he had a smile on his mouth.  
  
_Way to go, Omi_ , Jack thought, smiling a little himself.  
  
"Can we cross anything off your bucket list?", Raimundo asked, a little too casually. "Anything that doesn't involve a parlour, I guess?"  
  
  
  
It turned out the reason Omi and Jermaine were so excited wasn't just because of a first kiss.  
  
"Whoa", Kimiko said after the former two dragged everyone to the balcony. "That's incredible."  
  
Although she wasn't very articulate about it, Kimiko had managed to sum up what everyone was thinking.  
  
"I know", Jermaine agreed. "We were here just, uh, talking and suddenly everything in the flowerpot just bloomed!"  
  
It wasn't just any kind of bloom, Jack knew.  
  
Somehow he could feel it in the air and he knew it was magic.  
  
"It doesn't feel like Shen Gong Wu magic", Dojo said after a while. "At least, not any I remember. But you know, maybe the sudden surge of magical energy made the plants bloom? It's a possibility."  
  
Maxine titled her head. "Maybe they just bloomed naturally? Anthony had been working on them for weeks now."  
  
Jack didn't think it had anything to do with that, but he chose to keep his mouth shut.  
  
The theory he had now, sounded idiotic, but he'd seen how Jermaine watered the plants two hours before, with a precision that was almost uncanny.  
  
Before this moment, Jack had attributed it to Jermaine simply having an uncanny green thumb, but now he wasn't so sure.

Dojo was right, he would've been a fascinating addition to the temple.  
  
"Yeah", Jack said, half-heartedly. "Maybe all Mr. Lee's hardwork finally paid off."

 

 

* * *

 

 ~~~~  
  
  
They'd been back in the temple for about two days before Jack finally brought extra clothes.  
  
  
It surprised the monks, of course, to see him with his two suitcases, grumbling because they weren't that heavy when he packed them.  
  
"Took you long enough", Kimiko said, effortlessly picking one of his suitcases off him. "These are really light by the way ~~\--~~ you _seriously_ need to join us at training."  
  
Omi picked up the suitcase from Kimiko and lifted it to try its weight before he handed it back to her again.  
  
"She's right, you know", he agreed, raisin an eyebrow. "I mean, I thought Kimiko doesn't have that much upper body strength but you ~~-~~ "  
  
Kimiko dropped the bag and glared. "Omi, mention upper body strength one more time and you will be having dinner through a straw."  
  
Omi looked like he was going to say something, but she cut him off.  
  
"And I'm _not_ joking about it this time!"  
  
Jack opened his mouth to ask her just how many times she made that threat, but wisely chose to leave that question for later.

  
After Kimiko and Omi helped him drop his bags at the guest room he always stayed at, Jack remained there until he lost track of time.  
  
He knew Omi said something about them all watching something together, a movie or something later on, but he really couldn't care or remember right now.

  
  
Somehow the minute he decided to pack his suitcases, he got stomach cramps of the worst kind.  
  
Jack knew they weren't the side effect of a cold or something he ate, positive even.  
  
He knew it was because of the sudden moral realignment.  
  
Somehow, at some point down the road, Jack decided he's helping the Xiaolin side in this dimension in order to get back to his own.  
  
Now that he was _actively_ doing it, though, it felt like he was betraying everything he knew and everything he stood for, even if it was temporary.  
  
It's only temporary, Jack tried to reassure himself.

  
 He'd help them and then he'd go, but it was getting complicated now that he was actually getting to know them.  
  
Jack sighed and rubbed his temple's, trying not to think about how weird everything was going to be when he got back.  
  
Sometimes, he got a ridiculous, wishful thought: maybe he could just stay here.

Everything seemed easier here ~~\--~~ his evil idols were just idols and none of them tried to actively murder him on a whim.

He and the monks were actually _friends_ in this dimension, even if their friendship was somewhat vitriolic.  
  
Even his relationship with his mother seemed better in this dimension, Jack mused.

It wasn't something he could do, though, he had to go back his own dimension and he knew it.  
  
He still remembered vivid details from the dimensions Omi brought upon the world when he interfered too much, and neither of them were pretty. Jack just had to figure out ~~\--~~  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Jack turned around abruptly, more than a little shocked that the question in his mind was being said aloud.  
  
Raimundo was leaning on the doorless doorframe, looking at him questioningly.  
  
He seemed to be expecting an answer, so Jack, naturally, started stuttering.  
  
"I, well, I am, uh", Jack began, feeling like he was caught in the act of something. "I was here just..."

He trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

His nerves weren't helped by the fact that Raimundo had an increasingly suspicious look on his face.  
  
"Your eloquence shocks me sometimes", he said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, Stalker Boy, you're missing the game."  
  
Now it was Jack's turn to be suspicious.

"What game?"  
  
"Didn't Omi tell you we're streaming Inês's football game today?"  
  
"Who's Inês?"  
  
"My sister", Raimundo said. "And you're coming with me right now. I'll be _damned_ if I have to explain what a nutmeg is more than once today."

  
  
  
The next day, while the monks were off training, Jack attempted to meditate.  
  
As he tried to clear his mind of worldly thoughts and focus, Jack discovered that he was, for lack of a better word, failing.  
  
"Oh for crying out loud", he yelled in the empty meditation room. "Dashi, dude, if you're hearing this, can't you just talk to me some other way? I said I'm sorry!"  
  
"I take it mediation isn't going that well, is it?"  
  
Jack jumped in place. "Fucking hell, man, what is it with everyone sneaking up on me?"  
  
Omi shrugged. "We're on stealth training."

That made a lot of sense. 

  
"Fine", Jack said. "Did you want anything?" 

Omi nodded and bounced in place, excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, you won't guess what happened!"  
  
"Clay switched to baseball hats?", Jack guessed, hoping that it was true in some shape or form. "I mean, uh, I wouldn't care but, y'know."  
  
Omi scrunched his nose. "No, we have a visitor. Some ancient warrior kinda guy and ~~\--~~ do think about Clay wearing baseball hats that much?"  
  
Jack crossed his arms and put on a poker face.

"I'd rather die than have this conversation with you right now. Or ever."  
  
"Fine", Omi shrugged. "Anyway, you should come or you'll miss him. Master Monk Guan is going to spend the rest of the day discussing 'serious business' with the old masters."  
  
Jack laughed a little at Omi's use of air quotes before he registered the rest of the sentence.  
  
"Master Monk Guan is here? Why?"  
  
"The rest of the wu were hidden in his temple, so he came to drop them off."

 

  
"Come on, Stalker Boy, lighten up!"  
  
Jack's frown deepend as he put his head between his knees.  
  
He failed to catch Master Monk Guan before he headed to his meetings with the elder monks and now any question he hoped to ask him had to be put on hold. Possibly, forever.  
  
If he wasn't being melodramatic, Jack would have been surprised at the monks' attempts to  cheer him up.  
  
Omi was trying to pun him out of his misery, Kimiko was being marginally nicer ~~\--~~ something he wasn't sure could happen ~~\--~~ , and Clay was patting him on the back reassuringly, making it really difficult for Jack to stay upset.  
  
Raimundo had disappeared and returned with something he was sure would put Jack in a better mood.  
  
"Hey, guess what I got from Master Monk Guan's unsorted wu?", he said, smirking confidently. "Your favorite, Instant Monkey!"  
  
Raimundo handed Jack the Monkey Staff, which did make him feel better with its familiarity, though it did nothing to make him less worried.

He needed to get through to Dashi, that much he knew and was certain of, and while he did get nowhere with that, he got visions.  
  
Well, they weren't visions exactly, but calling them visions was more mystical than calling them ' _those five seconds before your dream turned to a nightmare_ '.  
  
Jack had two identical dreams: Dashi stting in front of him with both arms and legs crossed and his face looking at him with a disappointed, yet stern look.  
  
It freaked Jack out, to say the least, because it reminded him exactly of his mother's face when she found out that he made a robot out of her favorite blender, right around the time she almost agreed to those knife-throwing lessons.  
  
"The word you're looking for is 'thanks'", Raimundo said, mistaking his silence for something else.  
  
Jack didn't catch on. "What?"  
  
"You know like 'thank you, Raimundo, I'll do the dishes today to repay you'", the other added.  
  
Jack tossed the Monkey Staff between both hands. "But this has done nothing to help me."  
  
"Obviously, none of us know how to help you", Kimiko said, tone leveled. "So we're just trying to cheer you up."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, sadly, we're friends."

  
The word got to Jack more than it should have, if he were being honest.

He found nothing to say, so Kimiko just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Please, don't get mushy on us now. We're all happy with our current dynamic."

Jack nodded and the conversation slowly shifted into something about Kimiko's cousin Mayumi, who to this day hadn't returned her favorite jacket.  
  
"That's a bit of too dramatic, isn't it?", Clay was saying about Kimiko's reaction.  
  
Kimiko shrugged. "Normally, I wouldn't have been that upset, but it was a gift from Gucci."  
  
No one said anything for a while until Kimiko turned to Jack.  
  
"You know what I just realized? We talk about our families all the time and we never heard you say shit about yours."  
  
Omi titled his head, only just seeing it too.

"Yeah, tell us something."  
  
Jack grimaced. He'd hoped they wouldn't ask.  
  
They were right, Jack knew a lot ~~\--~~ almost too much, really ~~\--~~ about their families.  
  
He knew Raimundo's brother Emmanuel auditioned for novelas as a hobby and that he had nieces named Adriana and Gisele, because of his sister Marta's love of both supermodels.  
  
He knew Kimiko's aunt Mizuki's drinking problem was their family's worst kept secret and that she had cousins who ran an international hacking circle.  
  
He knew Omi's aunt Christy was animating a cartoon about kids with elemental powers, something he inwardly scoffed at, and that he's very close to his cousins because he was an only child for most of his life.  
  
He also knew a shit ton of way-too-personal stories from Clay, of course, which mostly involved his siblings dragging him into trouble or Granny Lilly being honestly creepy.

Realizing that they were all waiting for a story, Jack cleared his throat.  
  
"Well", he began. "All my family is evil ~~\--~~ "  
  
Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Yes, we _know_. Expand on that, like, your mama ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Excuse you?!"  
  
"I wasn't insulting you this time. I meant, like, what does she do?"  
  
Jack bit the inside of his cheek. "That's too embarrassing for me to say."  
  
"Why?", Clay asked, genuinely curious. "Just yesterday, Kimiko here was telling us about that distant aunt of hers that shot her husband in the ankle."  
  
"He was _cheating_ on her", Kimiko said defensively.  
  
Clay gestured to her as if saying ' _see?'_. "So?"  
  
"The thing is", Jack said, fidgeting. "She's kind of...not evil."  
  
"Come again?", Omi asked, incredulously.  
  
"She's the head of a lot of international charities", Jack explained, cheeks burning. "And she's also a sponsor for five merit scholarships."  
  
"Dude, your mom sounds like a saint", Raimundo said.  
  
"Yeah, I know", Jack grumbled. "It's my only shame."

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
"Holy fucking crap donkeys!"

  
Those were the first words Jack said when he jolted from his quick nap.  
  
He stood up, for once not post-nap groggy, and looked around the room, trying to calm down.

He'd went straight to his room after dinner, trying and failing to ignore the monks' calls for him to join in on the newest video game Kimiko's dad sent.  
  
"I'll just take a quick nap and I'll be right there", he'd promised, feeling tired all of a sudden.

Apparently that was a lie because the sun has long since come up and he knew from the smells creeping into his room that he was up just in time for breakfast.  
  
He ran to the bathroom and rushed through his morning routine, eager and excited to tell the monks of his latest dream.

  
  
On his way to the kitchen, Jack practiced the story in his head.  
  
He'd tell them that Dashi showed up again in his dream and, this time, did something different: he pointed a finger at the Dragons and sighed in exasperation, as if telling to get a clue.

  
In the kitchen, Jack only found three of the four monks, eating and having disjointed conversations about nothing.  
  
"Hey", he said as he sat down and poured cereal into one of the bowls. "How did the game turn out?"  
  
Omi was the first to answer. "It was cool, Mr. Tohomiko added a _lot_ of lifelike death screams in this one."  
  
"Fun fact", Kimiko added, taking a sip of coffee. "That was me."  
  
"There truly is nothing you can't do", Jack said, brushing it off. "So, where's Raimundo?"  
  
The minute he asked that question he regretted it since Clay took it as an opportunity to give him a sly ' _this is between friends_ ' wink.  
  
Jack tried very hard to not either scream or blush because of the cowboy.

The obliviousness was getting on his nerves, but that wink was something else.  
  
"He's still asleep", Clay answered, with the smallest hint of a smile. "Gotta admire him, says he's a crack of noon kinda guy and _only_ wakes up at noon ~~\--~~ wouldn't wake him up, though, meaner than a wet panther in the morning, that one."  
  
Kimiko scrunched up her face, in both confusion and slight scrutiny.

"Yeah, he stayed up late last hight."  
  
"And how do you know that?", Omi asked, wagging his eyebrows.  
  
Kimiko interestingly chose to sip more coffee than answer him.  
  
"Anyway", she said. "Did you want to tell him something?"  
  
Jack nodded. "I wanted to tell you all something. I had a dream last night!"  
  
"What a shocking development", Omi muttered dryly.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "I mean, a magical dream ~~\--~~ Dashi was there and so were you!"  
  
Now the monks were intrigued.  
  
"Were we now?", Clay said, shifting a little on his seat. "What did you dream about?"

  
Jack told the monk the dream he had and everything that went in it, which wasn't much really.  
  
Even though they actually tried to help him, they amounted to nothing.  
  
"Thanks for the help anyway", he said, as the monks left the table for morning pre-training.

  
Jack decided to give meditation another go and headed to the meditation room before Dashi's face flashed in his mind again.  
  
It was the same gesture from the dream; he was pointing at the monks, but this time he seemed to be mouthing the word ' _help_ '.  
  
"I _am_ helping them", Jack muttered, still not seeing the point.  
  
  
As he failed to meditate once more, Jack came to a striking realization.  
  
Maybe Dashi wanted _him_ to get the monks' help.  
  
He got up, with more purpose than he had when he walked into the room, and decided to try the monks' help one more time.

 

  
Jack was almost at the training ground when he stopped in his tracks with a few knots in his stomach.  
  
He'd decided to try talking to each of the Dragons one-on-one, but now he was beginning to see the drawbacks of that plan.  
  
Because of certain nostalgia, he still couldn't talk to Omi without asking him to maybe try shaving his hair, which didn't sit well with any of the others, particularly Raimundo.  
  
Jack patted his butt as he vividly remembered the kick Kimiko had landed on there between threats she planned to follow through if he ' _didn't leave that boy's beautiful Afro alone_ '.

Jack also knew he couldn't talk to Kimiko alone because, even though she was starting to warm up to him, he still caught her sometimes glaring at him and muttering something about chameleons.  
  
He didn't know if that was something that somehow managed to carry on from the other dimension, but he was sure he didn't want to find out.  
  
As for Clay, well, that was just a death wish.  
  
He wouldn't have been able to talk to him straight without telling him that he _did_ have a crush on a Dragon, but it wasn't the one the cowboy had in mind.  
  
That only left Jack one option, one that was certainly not a morning person.

  
Jack was heading to the monks' room before he heard humming from the bathroom.  
  
At least he's awake, Jack thought before he opened the halfway shut door.  
  
"Hey, dude, can I talk to you?", Jack asked.  
  
Raimundo gave him a look as he dropped his razor. "Kinda in the middle of something here."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, anyway", Jack began. "I could really use your help on ~~\--~~ "  
  
He paused, suddenly noticing the shaving cream on the other's face. "Shaving?"  
  
"No, rabies", Raimundo said, sarcastically. "What do you want?"  
  
"I need your advice."  
  
"Got that already."  
  
"About meditation", Jack explained. "You're a brilliantly lazy asshole, how do you do it?"  
  
"Oh, no", Raimundo said in a deadpan voice. "Please stop, I'm blushing."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm serious ~~\--~~ how do you do it?"  
  
"Don't think about anything", Raimundo said, shrugging. "I know it's harder than it looks, but you just gotta focus."  
  
"You give _wonderful_ advice."  
  
"Hey, don't get testy with me! You want good advice, go to Clay ~~\--~~ if you strip those down-home saying of all the weirdness, they're pretty solid."  
  
Raimundo paused and crossed his arms.  
  
"What's your problem? Aside from the obvious, I mean."  
  
"I just get really nervous", Jack said, before catching the rest of the sentence. "What do you mean aside from the obvi ~~\--~~ "  
  
"So you get nervous", Raimundo cut him off. "Just do all that deep breathing shit, it works. Now let me shave in peace."  
  
Jack stopped the door before it could close.  
  
"Yeah, try again."  
  
Raimundo rolled his eyes and wiped the shaving cream off with a towel.

"Easy advice isn't just gonna cut it, is it?"  
  
"I don't think so", Jack said. "But what do you have in mind? You're not gonna kiss the nervousness out of me, are you?"  
  
Jack was only half-joking, if he were being honest.

With that beard stubble, he really wouldn't have minded.  
  
"No", Raimundo said, walking out of the bathroom. "I'm kinda seeing someone, a couple actually."  
  
Jack gave him a look. "You were single two days ago."  
  
"Not after going to New York, I'm not", Raimundo said, gesturing Jack to follow him into the monks' room.

  
Jack stood behind Raimundo, as he went into his part of the room and rummaged for something in the clutter.  
  
"Here you go", Raimundo said finally, handing Jack something.  
  
Jack looked at the object in his hands, not really understanding it for a few seconds.  
  
"This is a teddy bear", he said after a while.  
  
"No", Raimundo corrected. "That's Ninja Fred."  
  
"Who is also a teddy bear", Jack continued.  
  
Raimundo scoffed. "You wouldn't be calling him that if you knew the story."  
  
Jack gave him a prompting look, but Raimundo didn't really need any.  
  
He launched a story about how the bear, Ninja Fred, had magical powers and always smelled like love and his mother's shampoo.  
  
He was going on about the teddy bear's short-lived glow-in-the-dark powers when Jack stopped him.  
  
"That's a bunch of lies!", he exclaimed, not believing a single word.  
  
"Maybe so", Raimundo said, holding up a finger. "But he did help me after I almost drowned."  
  
Jack was surprising. "You almost drowned?"  
  
"Yeah, this jellyfish stung me when I was eight and my legs cramped", Raimundo explained.

"Anyway", he continued. "That teddy bear you don't like was the one who kept all my secrets until I was eleven."  
  
Jack couldn't stop his smile from spreading.  
  
"You can't be serious."  
  
"I am", Raimundo nodded. "I used to sleep with it until I hit puberty and I still do sometimes."  
  
"Stop it", Jack said, with absolute glee. "Why are you telling me all this? I can so use it against you!"  
  
Raimundo smirked. "You won't."  
  
"How can you be so sure?", Jack asked, hands on his waist.  
  
"Because if you do", Raimundo began in a casual tone. "I might _somehow_ slip a little Nair in your shampoo and you don't want to be the guy who went bald at seventeen."  
   
Frozen with horror, Jack said nothing, so he continued in a low voice.  
  
"And don't test me, Spicer, I have seventy bottles of Nair."  
  
"Why does anyone have that much Nair?", Jack asked, horrified.  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "In case a situation like this ever arose."  
  
Jack glared and closed his mouth before he could slip on his tongue and say something about how Raimundo was somehow nicer during his breif deflection to the Heylin.  
  
"You suck", Jack finally said before leaving. "And not in a fun evil way."

  
  
"I'm going nuts", Jack said, staring at the tiny bear. "I truly am losing it."  
  
If only Ashley could see him now, Jack thought bitterly.  
  
She would have been so happy she would have probably pissed herself from laughing.  
  
  
It had been an hour since Jack had taken the teddy bear from Raimundo and went into the one of the few rooms with doors to avoid the threat of premature balding.  
  
Jack attempted to ease his nerves by doing the most humiliating things.  
  
He talked to the bear, squeezed it, and even cuddled it for a few minutes, but it was no use.  
  
His nerves were just growing more tense with every minute he couldn't get rid of his nervousnes, which put him at a very tight spot.

  
"Honestly, I should've talked to Kimiko first", Jack muttered to himself.  
  
"You should have also put on some deodorant."  
  
Jack looked around the tiny room. "Who said that?"  
  
"Down here", came the familiar voice.  
  
Jack's eyes trailed down to where the teddy bear was laid, though it was now clearly standing on its little plush legs.  
  
"It's getting worse", Jack whispered.  
  
The bear huffed and crossed its arms. "Way to be dramatic."  
  
Jack took a deep breath; there was no point delaying the inevitable.  
  
"Okay, Ninja Fred", Jack began. "What can you do to help me?"  
  
The bear sighed. "First of all, just because I possessed the teddy bear, doesn't mean I am one."  
  
"Then who the hell are you?"  
  
"You asked for my help and here I am."  
  
"Dashi?", Jack asked, surprised. "Couldn't you have just...ghosted up here?"  
  
"No", Dashi said with a tone that suggested he would've rolled his eyes if he could. "I wanted to scare you!"  
  
Jack threw his arms in the air.

"That's just too far! You had me go to all the way to Cambodia and then you decide to pop in my dreams and now you're a sentient teddy bear? Too fucking far."  
  
"I was upset with you", Dashi said, doing his best to shrug. "I told you to not interfere with Omi's coming to the temple and you did just _that_. And you told me to shove it."  
  
"You are way too petty to be a Grand Master", Jack said.  
  
Dashi scoffed. "Please, pettiness is a requirement these days."  
  
"So", Jack prompted, somehow growing more at ease at talking to a teddy bear. "What did you want?"  
  
Dashi didn't answer, so Jack added.

"You must have wanted something, right? You weren't just fucking with me again, were you?"  
  
"Eh", Dashi said, making a so-so gesture. "Yeah, I kinda wanted to warn you about something. A great horror will soon be unleashed on the temple, no biggie."  
  
"How is that a no biggie?", Jack asked. "That's huge and...couldn't you have just said that in the first place? Like, in any of my dreams or to _any_ of the monks?"  
  
Dashi waved him off.

"The afterlife was getting pretty boring and no, I can't talk to any Dragon Warrior until they reach a certain spiritual point in their training."

He paused and frowned at Jack. "I told you that literally the first time I talked to you."  
  
"Wait a second", Jack said, confused. "Then how come you can talk to me? Oh my _God_ , I'm your descendant, aren't I?!"  
  
Even as a teddy bear, Dashi looked vaguely insulted.  
  
 "Heavens no, I had no children of my own. Took a vow of celibacy and I was regretting it until you just said that ~~\--~~ can you even imagine?"  
  
"Wow", Jack said, dryly. "Don't take it so hard, I wouldn't have been proud to have a Xiaolin ancestor."  
  
The conversation hit a lull, but Jack was still curious about more than one thing.  
  
"Did the great evil you're talking about happen in the original dimension?"  
  
Dashi tilted his head. "Yes, it did and you almost died."  
  
"That doesn't really narrow it down", Jack grumbled. "So, did it have to do with ~~\--~~ "  
  
"I can't tell you more about it", Dashi interjected. "I can only give a simple warning, anything more and the world can seriously go out of balance."  
  
Jack scowled. "Some help you are!"  
  
"You should be thankful I'm even helping you in the first place", Dashi retorted. "You almost brought about ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Oh, don't tell me, a thousand years of darkness?"  
  
"Worse!"  
  
"What can be worse than that?"  
  
"Oh a lot", Dashi began. "But number one would be there not being any Dragons to combat said thousand years of darkness."  
  
Jack had to give him that. "Okay, I _guess_ that's worse than the end of the world, but only marginally."  
  
  
They sat in silence for about a minute before Jack broke it.  
  
"When will I go home?"  
  
Dashi only looked at him, then sighed. "I can't tell you that."  
  
"Come on, man", Jack whined. "At least give me a hint, you can do that!"  
  
Dashi huffed. "You will know when the time comes."  
  
"You know, I don't care that you're a teddy bear", Jack began. "I could kick your ass all the way to Taiwan right now."  
  
Dashi got into a fighting stance. "What's stopping you?"  
  
"I don't want to go bald, that's what", Jack said, resolving to just wag his finger angrily.  
  
Jack took his time before he asked his next question, one that stuck to the back of his mind since his last conversation with Dashi's ghost.  
  
"Last time I talked to you", Jack said, nervously. "You said something about people not being where they're supposed to be, but still being there."  
  
He paused, trying to string his next sentence together.   
  
"You were talking about me, weren't you?", he finally said and waited for an answer.  
  
When it didn't come, he added.

"Because I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, now that I'm actually helping the losers, it just feels so...wrong to my nature, but I know it's the right thing to do."  
  
Having finished all he had to say, Jack looked at the bear, waiting for an answer.  
  
"Hey, Dashi? Grand Master?"  
  
The bear didn't respond.  
  
Jack knocked on his head. "Hello, you there?"  
  
As he picked up the now-lifeless bear, Jack could practically feel the painted smile mocking him.  
  
"You really need to work on your exits." 

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
"Do you have any idea what that great evil is?"  
  
Jack shook his head, as he tried to focus on the food.

  
  
After the encounter with the plush kind, Jack had ran all the way to the kitchen and waited for the monks to come in for lunch.  
  
Currently, only Kimiko and Omi were present, while Clay was in the bathroom and Raimundo was God-knows-where.  
  
He immediately shared all what Dashi told him, to the scrutiny of the two Dragons.  
  
"Wait, who's teddy bear was that?", Kimiko asked.  
  
Suddenly feeling an urge to check on his hair, Jack replied. "Mine, my bear."  
  
She shrugged, while Omi scratched his chin.

"Could it be a new enemy?"  
  
"I hope it is", Kimiko said. "I'm getting so tired of that white girl."  
  
Jack frowned. He hadn't considered it, but it still made no sense.  
  
"No", Jack said. "Your other enemies are locked up, hibernating, or ironically helping you out."  
  
Omi was confused. "Who's the enemy helping us ou ~~\--~~ _oh_ , you're still on about being evil?"

"Because I am", Jack insisted. "I almost defeated you, a couple of times."  
  
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Right. So anyway, if it's not an enemy, then what is it?"  
  
"I don't know", Jack said. "I'll need to think about it, you know. It's one great evil after another back there!"  
  
By the time Kimiko went for seconds, Clay ran into the kitchen.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, fellas", he said, sitting down. "You won't believe what I just he ~~\--~~ "  
  
He was barely done with his sentence when an exaggerated groan announced Raimundo's entrance.  
  
He flopped on a chair. "Please tell me Koko didn't inhale the table yet."  
  
"I told you I'm a big eater", Kimiko defended, settling only to roll her eyes at the nickname. "You should've been here earlier."  
  
Raimundo shrugged, while she squinted at his face.  
  
"You still didn't shave?", she asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm liking the whole thing, but you went to shave, like, three times already."  
  
"If you like that much, you should take a good look at it because it'll gone in the morning", Raimundo said. "I haven't shaved it off yet because I can't get a moment alone in this temple."  
  
He paused to take a drink. "I was going to the bathroom but Master Yang stopped me and wasted half an hour trying to set me up with his neice."  
  
Jack snorted. "That beard _is_ a curse!"  
  
"Don't listen to him, Rai", Kimiko said, glaring at Jack.  
  
Omi agreed. "Yeah, I think it suits you."  
  
"Of course, it suits me", Raimundo said. "I look good in everything."  
  
"Your humility is a lesson to us all, partner", Clay quipped.  
  
Raimundo waved him off. "The problem is that it makes me look like my dad and nobody wants to look like their dad, you know."   
  
 "Yeah", Kimiko said, way too casually. "Just wondering, do you have any photos of your dad?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Clay nodded. "Yeah, I want one too. Just curious an' all."  
  
"Ew", Raimundo said, disgusted. "I'm never inviting you to my place if he's around ~~\--~~ this is my eleventh birthday all over again."  
  
He then turned to Jack and Omi. "Aren't _you_ going to ask for photos too?"  
  
"No", Omi said, taking a bite off his plate. "We'll just look with Clay."  
  
Remembering the rush the cowboy had came in with, Jack turned to face him.

"You said you heard something?"  
  
As if suddenly remembering, Clay's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah, I can tell you a thing or two about a thing or two!"  
  
He took a deep breath, beckoned his friends closer, and began whispering.  
  
 "I was on the way over here and I hear a couple of the old masters, right? They seemed to be talking about something important, so I thought what kind of cowboy would I be if I didn't warn my friends?"  
  
He paused again. "They were talking about the meeting the monks had yesterday with Master Monk Guan and said something about a 'great evil' and how Master Fung's strategy seemed like it'll hold up."  
  
"Did they mention anything about what the great evil possibly is?", Jack asked, not missing the way Kimiko and Omi stared at him.  
  
Clay shook his head. "Nope, but they _did_ say something about the sky reflecting that a bad thing was on its way over."  
  
With that, everyone turned to the resident astrology nerd.  
  
"So Raimundo", Jack began. "Anything astrologically interesting?"  
  
Raimundo shook his head. "No, my moon is in a good place ~~\--~~ even said things will turn out great for me."  
  
"Good for you", Omi said. "But we're still talking about great evil, you know that?"  
  
The other boy nodded, making a 'carry on' motion with his hands.

  
After discussing more possibilities of what the great evil possibly was, the conversation started shifting to lighter topics.  
  
"Jermaine still hasn't texted me back", Omi said, glaring at Raimundo. "Your advice sucks."  
  
"Give it time", Raimundo said. "It works. Eventually, he'll text you back."  
  
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Why would anyone in their right mind ask him for advice, Omi?"  
  
Omi shrugged. "I saw his phone, Jack, it keeps blowing up and it's not because of a family group-chat."

"Still doesn't mean you have to ask for his advice", Clay said. "I like you and everything, Rai, but when you give advice, you're act lower than a snake's bellybutton."  
  
Jack snorted and nodded his agreement, while Kimiko looked up from her phone with an annoyed expression.  
  
"We went over this before, Clay. Snakes don't have bellybuttons!"

 

  
  
Jack spent the next week coming up with ideas for who or what the impending evil might be.  
  
He didn't miss the old masters going into emergency mode and rarely giving him or the Dragons the time of day. Even Dojo was helping out.  
  
Jack had quickly shot down Tubbimora, who was only cronie at best and not in any way a great evil, because in the world where Ashley had the world-conquering incentive, she never hired him.  
  
"'Villians try to make  _money_ , not spend it, Jack' ", he mimicked her as he crossed Tubbimora off the list. "What does she know? It's been a couple of years and she still didn't make that much progress. She's a worse villian than me!"  
  
Jack wrinkled his nose at the list and quickly crossed off Raksha the Snowman, who he only wrote down because he ran out of options.  
  
They weren't anywhere near winter and the Heart of Jong was locked safely in the vault after Master Monk Guan delivered it and the other wu he had for safekeeping.  
  
Grumbling, Jack crossed off Hannibal and Chase Young, too.  
  
"Who is it then?", Jack thought aloud. "Vlad isn't great evil, is he?"  
  
Scratching his head, the evil boy genius tried to think of other options.  
  
 Even Gigi, the original sentient Heylin plant, was locked up very securely according to Master Huang.  
   
It went without say that Wuya was a great evil, but she only had Ashley on her side.  
  
All good _that_ did her, Jack thought. Ashley hasn't even managed to get Wuya her body bac ~~\--~~  
  
"Holy fucking Tesla", Jack exclaimed. "It can't be!"  
  
Suddenly the memories resurfaced more vividly than they ever did in Jack's mind and he knew, for a fact, that it could be.  
  
Somehow, even with all his calculations and option-crossing, Jack forgot to even consider the first person who got Wuya her body and her powers back.  
  
Raimundo.

  
It didn't seem likely. After all, they were all happy here and he didn't seem like he would turn on his friends in a hot second.  
  
Then again, Jack only vaguely remembered why the Wind Dragon changed sides in the original dimension in the first place, so anything could be a trigger.  
  
Hoping he wasn't right at all, Jack shook the idea off.  
  
He couldn't tell the others about this now because, among all the injuries they would inflict on him, they wouldn't even believe him.  
  
  
  
  
Resolving to keep an eye on Raimundo only made Clay's suspicion that Jack had a crush on the former stronger.  
  
"I'm just sayin', Spicer", the cowboy said one day when the others were out of earshot. "You're setting yourself up for failure."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes, despite the building apprehension. "And I'm just saying, cowboy, I don't have any feelings for him except very weird off-kilter friendship."  
  
His lips twitched suddenly in a smile at the sight in front of him.  
  
Raimundo was judging a cartwheeling contest ~~\--~~ one he was exempt of because of his circus background ~~\--~~ between Omi and Kimiko.  
  
Omi was, for the very first time in his life apparently, losing.  
  
"You're cheating, Kimiko!"  
  
Said girl only taunted him. "Says the loser. It's a cartwheel, Omi, not rocket science!"  
  
  
  
Jack had grown tired with the whole ' _keeping an eye from afar'_ thing, mainly because there really was nothing for him to keep an eye on.  
  
The monks were pretty much on the same routine everyday.  
  
Breakfast, morning stretches, combat training, magical training, lunch, meditation, free time, and dinner.  
  
In the rare moments where they weren't all together; Kimiko would usually be video-chatting with Keiko, Clay would be whittling something or just reading, Omi would be playing with any of Kimiko's games, and Raimundo would be on Master Yang's 'borrowed' phone.

"I'm an uncle. Again", Raimundo announced that day. "Luisa's going to name him Davi, what do you guys think?"  
  
Kimiko looked up. "Hold on a second, Keiko. Does our opinion matter?"  
  
"Not really, no."  
  
"Okay then, it's very cute."  
  
"Just how many neices and nephews do you have, partner?", Clay asked.  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "The number doesn't really matter, I babysit too many kids either way."  
  
They'd ended up joking about how unlikely it is for a 'semi-spoiled jerk', according to Omi, to be the number one babysitter in his neighborhood for the rest of the day, which is why Jack was currently remembering that conversation as he followed Raimundo to the vault.

  
Knowing it was Raimundo's turn to guard the valut, Jack already put on the Shroud of Shadows the minute the other monks went to bed.  
  
The first two hours went by well, with Jack treading lightly to not make his presence known.  
  
It felt uncanny that this boy, who Jack has only seen serious when talking about the dangers of catfishing your circus ringleader, would turn Heylin.  
  
Raimundo was a good, loyal person, Jack knew, even if he was a little too petty and had a propensity to snap over ridiculous things.  
  
He wouldn't let him bring about the end of the world, if he could help it, because he had a responsibility to this dimension and because, fine, Jack was still a little sensitive about the time Raimundo singlehandedly ruined the world in the two days he went evil.  
  
Jack snapped back to focus when he noticed the boy he was watching let out an exasperated sigh.

  
"Get it over with already", Raimundo said. "Jack, I know you're here."  
  
Cursing inwardly, Jack took off the Shroud.  
  
"How did you did you know I'm here?", he asked.  
  
Raimundo rolled his eyes. "It's the Shroud of Shadows not the Shroud of Silence, you mouth-breather."  
  
He turned so he can face Jack directly.  
  
"You do know Stalker Boy isn't a nickname anyone should act on, right?"  
  
"I wasn't stalking you."  
  
"Could've fooled me."  
  
"I wasn't", Jack insisted. "It may look like I was, but there wasn't any malicious intent this time."  
  
Raimundo raised an eyebrow. "There's a lot wrong with that sentence."  
  
He paused, before giving Jack another look.  
  
"You've been acting weird all day", he said. "You didn't talk about any robotic invention today or any of your bad music. You haven't even mentioned a _word_ about Star Wars today."

  
As Jack fumbled around for excuses and Raimundo kept a close eye to call his bluff, neither noticed the inconspicuous fly flying past their heads or the way that fly suspiciously reeked of faded Dior.

 

* * *

 

 

  
Ashley directed the wu at the tiny bag on her bed. "Changing chopsticks."  
  
As the bag enlarged to its actual size, the girl pulled off her catsuit hood and grinned, showing genetically altered teeth.  
  
"Here's your junk, Wuya", she said, gesturing carelessly at the wu.  
  
The floating purple ghost was too impressed to correct Ashley's terminology.   
  
"You've barely been gone an hour", Wuya said, more than a little shocked. "What happened?"  
  
Ashley smiled. "Ironically enough, the doofus helped with a diversion."  
  
She emptied the bag, only looking over her shoulder every couple of seconds.  
  
"I think it's his Heylin side coming through", Ashley guessed. "Is that everything you need?"  
  
Wuya floated over the wu. "Yes, I suppose ~~\--~~ where's the Shroud of Shadows?"  
  
"The doofus was using it", Ashley said, waving it off. "I couldn't get it without making myself noticed."  
  
She gave the wu an overlook. "Do we really need it?"  
  
"No", Wuya said, sighing. "It would have added a nice touch, though."  
  
"Alright", Ashley said, excitedly. "When will the world dominion start?"  
  
Wuya's mask did something akin to a smile.  
  
"As soon as you finish assembling Mala Mala Jong."  
  
The witch cackled, but the effect was drowned out by Ashley's exaggerated groan.  
  
"You didn't mention I'll have to assemble it myself!"  
  
"You genetically alter cats for a hobby, is this really that different?"  
  
"Yes, cats are more fun."

Wuya sighed again and rubbed the top of her mask in exasperation.  
  
"Just get on with it, Katnappe."

 

* * *

 

  
  
At the temple, things had gone from bad to worse.  
  
  
Jack grimaced as he remembered the lame excuse he'd given.  
  
He was caught between saying that this was just a way too involved prank or that he went sleepwalking while wearing invisibility wu often.  
  
Subconsciously, Jack must have realized that both excuses were dumb because the next thing he said was, "Dojo asked me to keep an eye on you?"  
  
He sait in a questioning tone that sailed over Raimundo's head.  
  
"He asked you...Dojo asked you to keep an eye on _me_ ", he began, surprised. "You can't be serious."  
  
He walked over to Jack, face still caught between being shock and insult.  
  
"But he asked you to keep an eye on others too, right?"  
  
Jack was about to answer but Raimundo didn't really give him a chance.  
  
"Why the hell is he singling me out, man?"  
  
"Well", Jack began, seeing an opening and forgetting that he was trying to reassure the other boy. "Do you really want to be here? You're _positive_?"  
  
Raimundo gave him a condescending look.  
  
"No, I left my home and everyone I knew and loved because I thought I was auditioning for X-Men."  
  
Jack tried to get a word in. "Look, I didn't mean to ~~\--~~ "  
  
"My shift's over", Raimundo said, walking past him. "When Master Luong comes, tell him I went to bed."

  
  
The next day, Jack was bracing himself for an awfully awkward breakfast when he noticed that everything was, more or less, the same.  
  
The Dragons were awake earlier and were already joking around breakfast and none seemed marginally more pissed off.  
  
  
At least that's what he thought until it was lunchtime and Raimundo was all but cornering Dojo.  
  
"You know", he was saying in an almost pleasant tone. "Next time you have something to say to me, just do it yourself."  
  
Dojo choked on the dumpling he tried to swallow.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I don't appreciate your tone."  
  
"Oh, spare me the bad acting", Raimundo said. "You told Jack to follow me last night."  
  
Jack didn't need to look up from his bowl to know he was getting looks from everyone at the table. Even Clay was shaking his head in disappointment.  
  
"Why would I do that even if I wanted to tell you anything?", Dojo said, incredulously. "Jack's incompetent!"  
  
Jack decided to let him have that one.  
  
"Then what the hell was that abou ~~\--~~ "  
  
Master Fung ran into the room and interrupted Raimundo.  
  
"Young monks", he began, not taking into consideration everyone's shock at seeing him worried for the first time. "And Jack. You must leave immediately."  
  
Omi reacted first. "What's wrong, Master Fung?"  
  
"A great evil is on its way to the temple", Master Fung said. "Wuya has awakened Mala Mala Jong."  
  
"What is that?", Kimiko asked nervously.  
  
As realization dawned on him, Jack face-palmed. "The only option I didn't take into consideration."  
  
"He's a legendary Shen Gong Wu warrior", Dojo explained. "He's almost indestructible."  
  
Clay readjusted his hat. "What are we gonna do, Master Fung?"  
  
"You will take the Shen Gong Wu and hide", the old master said firmly.  
  
Raimundo started to protest but the old man cut him off. "No questions asked."  
  
  
  
  
  
Dojo flew them away from the temple and didn't stop or land until night had set in.  
  
  
In the cave where they took shelter, the pacing began.  
  
"We can't leave them there like this", Kimiko began, to the protest of no one. "They maybe master martial artists but with that 'legendary warrior', they'll be crushed!"  
  
Clay nodded his agreement. "I'm with you on that one, we need to get ~~\--~~ "  
  
"We need to get a plan", Omi exclaimed, to the chagrin of Clay. "Dojo, what are the Shen Gong Wu that make up Mala Mala Jong?"  
  
Dojo was getting a notebook out of an invisible pocket, but Jack beat him to it.  
  
"Oh pretty much everything", he said, casually. "The Two-Ton Tunic ~~\--~~ "  
  
"We don't have that", Dojo began, taking out a copy of the Shen Gong Wu spreadsheet.  
  
"The Fist of Tebigong and Third Arm Sash ~~\--~~ "

"We don't have that, too."  
  
"The Helmet of Jong and the Eye of Dashi ~~\--~~ "  
  
"We _did_ have the Eye of Dashi, but I'm guessing cat-girl stole it."  
  
"And the Shroud of Shadows", Jack concluded.  
  
"Oh", Kimiko said, jumping as if she was electrocuted. "We have that!"  
  
Jack scratched his neck. "Yeah, but it's sorta an unnecessary touch, you know."  
  
"Can all that wu just spontaneously form an ancient warrior?", Omi asked. "Because if it wasn't out to get us, I'd have said it's wicked."  
  
Dojo shook his head. "No, of course not. The wu can only be animated with the Heart of..."  
  
The dragon stopped mid-sentence to turn to Raimundo. "Jong. Weren't you guarding the vault last night?"  
  
"Yes, I was", Raimundo said, sighing. "Jack was there too ~~\--~~ you want to tell him what happened?"  
  
Jack said nothing, so the monks returned to their planning.  
  
Kimiko and Omi were coming up with most of the ideas, and Jack had to admit they would have all been ingenious if they could actually work.  
  
"No", Dojo said, shooting down yet another of Kimiko's ideas. "You keep forgetting he can strike you down with lightning."  
  
"Fellas", Clay began, thoughtfully. "What we need is something to help us get the Heart of Jong outta there."

He was drowned out by another's loud objection.

"No", Raimundo said, objecting for the first but not the last time. "What we need is to get our asses there to fight it off."  
  
Kimiko groaned. "You're so thick-headed sometimes, look ~~\--~~ "  
  
"I don't see what the big deal is", Raimundo interrupted. "It's simple. We came here to fight and I'm not hiding like a goddamn coward when I'm supposed to prove myself."  
  
No one called him out on that last slip, but Jack knew someone had to make Raimundo see their point.  
  
"You're supposed to hide", Jack said. "You heard the old man, hide and protect the wu. It doesn't get simpler than that!"  
  
"Jack's right, Raimundo", Omi said.  
  
Kimiko agreed. "At least think about a strategy before you Leeroy Jenkins this whole thing."  
  
"I was the captain of the unofficial football team at the circus", Raimundo said. "I _know_ strategy."  
  
Clay crossed his arms. "And what's this one called, counting your chickens before they hatch? What would David Beckham think?"  
  
Raimundo sputtered for something to say before his determination set in.  
  
'It's called winging it", he said, grabbing the Sword of the Storm from the wu bag.

He was almost out of the cave before he turned around.

"And for God's sake, Clay, there is more than one footballer in the world."

 

* * *

 

  
  
Using the Wings of Tinabi, Ashley hovered in the air as Mala Mala Jong proceeded to the temple, led by a cackling Wuya.  
  
"Katnappe", Wuya began, not bothering to hide her glee. "I suggest you go home. Mala Mala Jong will destroy any flesh and blood bound being he sees."  
  
Ashley sighed. "I can't do that, I have to go with you."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Because you said you'd make me rule the world, duh?"  
  
Wuya nodded. "And I will. How does Switzerland sound? Or Portugal, you're always saying you're a quarter Portugese."  
  
"I thought I'd rule next to you and stuff", Ashley said, disappointed. "I'm your apprentice, right?"  
  
Wuya looked at her incredulously. "No, I never take a non-magical apprentice."  
  
"Then what are we?", Ashley asked, feeling cheated.  
  
"You and I are, at best, in cahoots."  
  
The witch seemed satisfied with her answer but Ashley was nowhere near feeling that.  
  
"But, but", she began. "You just can't ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Fine", Wuya said, mask exasperated. "If you must, I have a mission for you. Go to the ~~\--~~ "  
  
A powerful gust of wind interrupted the ghost.  
  
"My, my", Wuya said. "What do we have here?"  
  
Raimundo's jaw clenched and so did his grip on the sword.  
  
"And where are your friends?", Wuya asked, mockingly. "Not up to the challenge, I see."  
  
"Creative differences", Raimundo said finally. "But it doesn't matter, I'll be through with you before they get here."  
  
Suddenly uderstanding the witch's cut-off order, Ashley slyly slipped away from the scene.  
  
The painted smile on Wuya's mask seemed to widen.  
  
"So young and confident", she mused, turning to the Shen Gong Wu warrior. "Crush him!"

 

* * *

 

  
  
Back in the cave, the others were still reeling from Raimundo's spontaneous running away.  
  
  
"The old man will not be happy with this", Dojo said, lamenting to no one. "This is going to bite me in the tail somehow, I can feel it!"  
  
Kimiko tried to keep a clear head on. "Let's just focus, okay? Clay had a plan."  
  
"I did?", Clay said, trying to remember. "All I said was we need to find a way to pull out the Heart of Jong."  
  
Omi turned to Dojo. "Is there a wu that can do that?"  
  
"Yes", Jack said before the dragon could answer. "The Golden Tiger Claws, which you left at Jermaine's, along with the Serpent's Tail and the Juju Flytrap."  
  
"Omi", Kimiko said, handing him her phone. "Call Jermaine."  
  
If it the world's fate wasn't on the line, Jack would have called the way Omi's voice cracked adorable.  
  
"What?!", Omi yelled. "You want me to just call him? I can't do that!"  
  
Clay sighed. "Why not, little partner? He's your boyfriend, ain't he?"  
  
"Technically we aren't dating yet ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Just do it", Dojo yelled, flying into the youngest monk's face.  
  
Jack still couldn't believe they were doing this, even when Omi was dialing the number he'd somehow memorized.  
  
"Great", he said. "The fate of the universe is in the hands of pubescent hormones."  
  
The three Dragons whipped their heads at the same time.  
  
"Dimension", they all corrected, some more mockingly than others.  
  
"Is that really what I sound like?"

  
It took Jermaine another hour, lettered with missed calls and hysterical voice mails, to call them back.  
  
When Kimiko's phone rang, Omi jumped in place.  
  
"Oh God", he said, nervously. "It's happening."  
  
Taking a deep breath, he answered. "Hey Jermaine, what's up?"  
  
Even though it was only on speaker phone, Jack could feel Jermaine's surprise.  
  
"You left sixty missed calls and at least twenty-five voice mails", Jermaine began. "I think _you_ can tell me what's up."  
  
Omi licked his lips. "We could really use your help. Funny story, but ~~\--~~ "  
  
"The world will literally be over if you don't get the wu at your place and come over here", Kimiko interjected.  
  
"That's...a lot to take in", Jermaine said, breath catching. "I'm stuck in New York traffic so I'm running late, just so you know."  
  
"Just meet us at the temple", Clay said, taking the phone from Omi and hanging up.

  
  
As they flew back to the temple, Jack hoped against hope that Raimundo was somehow managing to subdue Mala Mala Jong.  
  
"Do you think Raimundo did anything?", Omi asked, voicing Jack's concerns.  
  
"If he managed to not die", Dojo said, voice much louder now that he expanded. "I'd say he's done a lot. You kids are still just beginners."  
  
It seemed ironic that the monks were calm as Dojo droned on about the elderly monks being skilled fighters, Jack thought, when normally they would have been chattering pointlessly about anything that came to their minds.  
  
"It's going to be okay", Jack said, unnaturally trying to comfort the monks. "You did it before, guys, you just don't remember it."  
  
Kimiko nodded at that, trying to put a static face on, though Jack saw her still trying to control her breathing.

  
  
When they got closer to the temple and Dojo flew closer to the ground, the monks started jumping off the dragon's back.  
  
Jack jumped too, though in fairness, the helibot helped him with that.  
  
They arrived at the fray with the intention of helping Raimundo hold off the Shen Gong Wu warrior until Jermaine got there.  
  
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!", Clay exclaimed as they saw the scene in front of them.

  
It didn't take a genius to see that not only Raimundo had failed to hold the enemy off, but he also was almost paying with his life.  
  
Mala Mala Jong was standing over him, holding the Sword of the Storm, which Jack hadn't known until now could asphyxiate people.  
  
The cloud of air forming around Raimundo's face, Jack realized, was all the air he was breathing being slowly taken away.

 

Before Jack could say that the slowness of the air meant that Raimundo was fighting back and that they still had time, Kimiko jumped into the fight. 

  
She had fire running up her arms and the Fancy Feet over her shoes.  
  
Clay and Omi followed her lead, armed with the Silk Spitter and the Orb of Tornami respectively.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?", he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth.  
  
His answer was Dojo throwing him the Monkey Staff before flying away so fast, Jack almost thought he vanished into thin air.  
  
"Okay, okay", Jack said, juggling the Staff between both hands. "I can do this."  
  
  
  
Jack quickly discoverer he couldnt do this when the Monkey Staff was yanked right off his temporary tail and sucked into the ancient warrior.  
  
Instead of wallowing in his embarrassment like he usually did, Jack made himself useful and dragged the now semi-conscious Raimundo from the battle ground.  
  
"Stalker Boy", he said, attempting what looked like a pained smile. "I was beginning to think you were just going to let me get crushed out there."  
  
Jack shushed him. "You literally almost died and you still won't stop talking?"   
  
Raimundo ignored him and tried to push himself into a sitting position.

"By the way, that purple hag tried to get me to tell her where you were and when I didn't, she went through my brain."  
  
Both he and Jack shuddered involuntarily at the feeling.

"Yeah, she did _not_ like what she saw in there. She just flew out of here and told that Mala Mala ding-dong to crush me."  
  
"I'm sorry, by the way", Jack said, cringing at the words that difficultly came out. "For following you around."  
  
He didn't add 'for not trusting you', but Raimundo seemed to accept the apology.  
  
"It's fine", he said, getting back on his feet. "Let's get back out there."  
  
Jack's left eye twitched. "You can't be serious. Did I mention you almost died, just now?"  
  
"So?"  
  
"And you have nothing, no wu at all."  
  
"I'll figure something out."  
  
Jack was about to drag Raimundo back, but it turned out he really didn't have to as they both ducked to avoid the cloud of bees soaring into battle.  
  
"We didn't pack the Tongue of Saiping", Jack said. "What is that?"  
  
The answer came soon enough in the form of a Black boy running into the scene.  
  
"Jermaine", Raimundo announced as the other boy passed them boy, holding the Juju Flytrap like a sword.  
  
  
Seeing Jermaine in battle made Jack's jaw hang wide open.  
  
He was amazing, a whirlwind weaving to avoid the lightning strikes the Shen Gong Wu warrior threw down at him.  
  
"Silk Spitter", Clay called, shooting silk at the enemy. "Any minute now, Jermaine."  
  
Jermaine didn't have to be told twice.  
  
He avoided another lighting strike and called the wu's name before slicing a hole in the air.  
  
"Golden Tiger Claws", he yelled, jumping into the portal.  
  
Jack and the monks held their breath in the next minute, waiting.  
  
Mala Mala Jong was in the middle of making another gust of wind with the Sword of the Storm when he suddenly fell apart.  
  
  
Shen Gong Wu littered the ground as the monks got closer to the scene.  
  
Clay gave Jermaine a bone-crushing hug.  
  
"Thank God, we had your number!"  
  
The other Dragons joined in too, each offering thankful gestures and words.  
  
"Thank you, Jermaine", came a voice behind Jack.  
  
He jumped a little in place, not noticing when the old masters joined them.  
  
"Master Fung", Jermaine said, bowing. "I did my best."  
  
Master Fung nodded. "Indeed you did."  
  
Suddenly four sashes materialized in the old man's hands.  
  
"You all did", he said. "You showed bravery in the face of adversity, wisdom in battle, and undying loyalty to the temple and each other."  
  
He paused, as Dojo motion all the teenagers into a horizontal line.  
  
"For Kimiko", he began, handing said girl her sash.  
  
"Thank you, Master Fung."  
  
He moved to the next in line. "For Clay."  
  
"Just doin' my job, that's all."  
  
"For Omi."  
  
"I will honor this with my life."

Jack was about to make a quip about Omi being overly dramatic when the mood suddenly shifted.  
  
"What's going on?", he whispered to Master Huang.  
  
Master Huang shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
  
"And of course", Master Fung began. "We cannot forget who owe our life to, the one who ran into battle armed with almost nothing but bravery."  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Raimundo standing straighter.  
  
"I am aware that you have only arrived, but the skill and determination you have exhibited is one of a skilled warrior."  
  
Jack saw Kimiko grimace and send a discreet look to Raimundo, who's face became a picture of confusion.  
  
Master Fung turned to face the last boy, with the sash between his hands.  
  
"Jermaine", he said. "Do you accept this sash and the Xiaolin apprenticeship it represents?"  
  
Jermaine was understandably speechless.  
  
"But I, I don't understand", he began, surprise making stutter. "I thought only Dragons can become Xiaolin Apprentices?"  
  
Master Fung gave a hint of a smile. "Then you haven't been listening to your father or your grandmother that much, young monk."  
  
While Jermaine was searching for the right words, Dojo had news of his own.  
  
"You know", Dojo said. "Now that you're out of the city, I'm getting a pretty heavy magical vibe off you."  
  
Jermaine seemed grateful for the intervention.  
  
"C'mon, Dojo, we've been over this", he said. "My grandmother's element is just affecting your senses."  
  
Dojo smiled wider. "I don't think so. Unless there was a Dragon of Wood in your family too."  
  
"Wait", Jermaine said, scrunching a nose. "Are you saying..?"  
  
"In a strange turn of events", the dragon announced. "The fifth Dragon found us!"  
  
"Welcome home", Master Fung said, as Jermaine uncertainly took the sash. "Young Dragon."  
  
The elderly monks, now all smiles, started to disperse until a yell brought them to a halt.  
  
"Hey", Raimundo said in a loud voice. "What about me?"  
  
Master Fung turned to him with coldest expression Jack has ever seen.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Me, I said what about me?", Raimundo repeated. "I was there too!"  
  
Jack cringed, as did Clay while Omi and Kimiko shook their heads slightly.  
  
Jermaine avoided looking at him entirely.  
  
"You disobeyed my orders", Master Fung said. "And I had but one: leave the temple and protect the Shen Gong Wu."  
  
"But I was br ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Not to mention that this entire spectacle wouldn't have occurred if the Heart of Jong wasn't stolen from the vault the night you were guarding it."  
  
Master Fung gave Raimundo another look.  
  
"You were brash and reckless. I'm sorry, Raimundo, but you are not ready for the next level."  
  
The elderly monks started leaving, following Master Fung's lead.  
  
The Dragons remained behind, sharing worried glances and directing them at their friend.  
  
Jack couldn't help but look on guiltily, trying to mentally undo the damage he'd done that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I'm aware it seems rushed but we're halfway there
> 
> \- I'm deeply disappointed by the lack of 'Jermaine is a Dragon' stories and I'm aware that moving him to apprentice when he just got there seems...odd, but to be fair, he was the same rank the monks were in like 2 episodes
> 
> \- everytime I write the word 'Dashi', I feel like it should be followed by 'a known asshole', so that's just my character interpretation. 
> 
> \- I don't think Kimiko will ever really forget that Jack once kidnapped and made a very creepy robot doppelganger of her so...
> 
> (I hope I didn't bore you too much)


	11. In The Flesh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are references to Tamia, Robin Hood, Boy Meets World, The Sixth Sense, Cat Woman, the Omen and a joke (the one about the toilet) from The Good Place
> 
> -Also a slightly very violent bit here.

 

 

Jermaine fit in the temple like a hand fit a glove, Jack realized, though he should have probably seen it coming.  
  
  
  
In the two weeks following the rank upgrade, Jack observed as the new addition quickly adapted to the point where he almost forgot he wasn't there since the beginning.  
  
Jermaine got along splendidly with Clay, did the typical ' _younger brother versus sister's boo_ ' thing with Kimiko, and spent a lot of time with Omi, which Jack knew by the kisses he's seen exchanged meant that now none of the monks were single.  
  
  
Even Jack got his share of the new Dragon's friendship, which he found incredibly valuable and, well, sweet.

  
"You're doing it wrong", was the first thing Jermaine said to him one-on-one.  
  
Jack had been tinkering with a new device, an exact replica of his goggles but with added vision enhancer, but somehow kept failing to make it work smoothly.  
  
Just because he was doing choppy work these days didn't mean he was going to take the insult though.  
  
"What do you know?", he said, peeved. "Are you a mechanic?"  
  
Jermaine shook his head. "I'm not, but this stuff literally runs in my genes."  
  
"Right", Jack said, cheeks burning with embarrassment. He couldn't believe he forgot that.  
  
He looked out of the corner of his eye a minute later to make sure the other boy was still there.  
  
When he was certain Jermaine was still standing, Jack cleared his throat.  
  
"What am I doing wrong exactly?"  
  
"It's that circuit", Jermaine said, relieved that he got to say what he was holding in. "Something's not....right with it."  
  
"And what is that with the exact terminology?", Jack asked.  
  
Jermaine shrugged. "I said it ran in my genes, I didn't say I know the technicalities."  
  
Jack looked at him for a few seconds, trying to decide whether or not to make a witty quip.  
  
"Fine", he said finally. "Wanna sit with me and tell me when I get it right?"  
  
Jermaine looked over his shoulder and turned back to smirk at him.  
  
"Sure", he answered. "I got some time to spare."  
  
The way he said it, casual yet indicating a faint nervousness, made Jack know why the others and their usual noise were missing.

  
He had appreciated it at first ~~\--~~ he got to do some work in silence, after all ~~\--~~ but after a while it got as eery as it probably was when they weren't there.  
  
"They're giving it another try, huh?"  
  
Jermaine bit his lip. "Yeah, they're thinking that after a week maybe he's cooled down."  
  
"And why didn't _you_ go?", Jack asked, pointing at the other boy with a wrench.  
  
Jermaine snorted. "I think I'm the last person he'd want to see right now ~~\--~~ I took his promotion right under his nose."  
  
Now it was Jack's turn to scoff.

He may have not known Jermaine as long, but after that battle it would have been ridiculous to think he didn't deserve his rank.  
  
"Don't be stupid", Jack said. "You deserve this as much as the others do and you know it."  
  
Jermaine sighed. "I do know, but I don't want him to not like me."  
  
He paused and scrunched his face.  
  
"I realize how weird it sounds since my sister's  boyfriend should be the one trying to win me over, but it is how it is."  
  
Jack sighed and tried to get Jermaine invested in the device rather than his own worries over the next fifteen minutes.

  
  
After the promotion, amidst all the joy and pride it brought, no one knew how to act around Raimundo.  
  
Naturally all of them were a little shy about bragging, though Omi, with an embedded tactlessness Jack sometimes found comforting, found ways around it.

Jermaine, however, was the most apprehensive because he thought Raimundo was avoiding him.  
  
Jack didn't need to correct him, because Clay soon did.  
  
"He's avoiding _all_ of us, partner."

  
Over the next few days, the promoted monks tried to divide their time between their training and the friend who couldn't join in.  
  
It was a challenge trying to hang out with Raimundo while the others were training, mostly because he gave off waves of anger.

"You can go if you want", he told Jack when they were both siting alone in the rock garden. "I bet you're dying to see the special _apprentice_ training."  
  
Jack tried, for once, to be a good friend.

"No, I'm staying right here and wallowing in misery with you."  
  
"Well, I'm not", Raimundo said, rolling his eyes and getting up.  
  
Jack stood up and followed him. "Where are you going?"  
  
"To my house", Raimundo said. "I'm going to nap on the living room couch listening to Avo gossip on the phone and make lunch while a few kids run around ~~\--~~ it relaxes me."  
  
Jack didn't see how that was at all relaxing, but decided not to comment on that.  
  
"Master Fung will probably not be happy about that."  
  
"Oh, what a _shocker_!", Raimundo said with an eye roll. "Maybe then he'll finally give in and banish me for stealing a wu."  
  
Jack sighed; they were back to that sooner than he hoped.

"Master Fung will not banish you."  
  
"Could've fooled me; that old man hasn't said a thing to me since the..promotion."  
  
"Dude, don't ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Just let me be for a while, Stalker Boy."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes at the nickname, but left him nevertheless.

He didn't know why he thought he could get to him when the others certainly hadn't.

Kimiko was constantly complaining about the growing disconnect. 

"I just showed him a text Janine sent us", she said, huffing. "And he gave zero reaction, total blank face."  
  
Jermaine cringed. "Maybe that _is_ the normal reaction ~~\--~~ I saw that group chat once, gave me nightmares."  
  
Kimiko stuck her tongue out at him, and Clay shook his head.  
  
"I know what you mean, Kim", he said, scratching his cheek. "Little rascal isn't even tryin' to fill my hat with ten gallons of milk anymore."  
  
Omi raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound upset about that?"  
  
"I'm not", Clay said, shaking his head. "But I can tell that he's _that_ discouraged."  
  
Jermaine clucked his teeth. "Look, someone needs to talk some sense into him so this tension would go away."  
  
Kimiko perked up and was about to say something but Jermaine cut her off.  
  
"And that someone will not be me so don't think about it, Lava Girl."  
  
Jack failed to hide his snort and suffered Kimiko's glare before he spoke.  
  
"I think it might be better if you all try again ~~\--~~ tell him that you understand and that you stand beside him until he ~~\--~~ "  
  
Omi interrupted him. "But I don't understand why he did what he did."  
  
"Omi", Jermaine said, sighing exasperatedly. "We talked about this, dude."  
  
"Yes, we did", Omi agreed. "And I'm still not sure just _why_ he ran out like that."  
  
Jack crossed his arms and raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Don't get me wrong, what he did was _stupid_ , but he tried his best. Isn't this what it's all about?"  
  
 "That last part is true", Omi began. "But he's being very melodramatic; it's not like Master Fung banished him."  
  
Jack sighed. "Why do you all think the temple has a banishing policy?"  
  
Omi ignored him. "Raimundo just didn't get a promotion, it happens. But if he works hard ~~\--~~ "  
  
Kimiko began massaging her forehead, while Clay and Jermaine exchanged looks.  
  
Apparently they've had this conversation before.  
  
"Seriously, dude?", Jack said, surprised at how certain things transcended dimensions.  
  
Omi nodded. "Yes, I'm serious ~~\--~~ don't get me wrong, Raimundo is like the older brother I never had because my parents weren't ready for commitment then, but some things have to be said."  
  
Silence reigned for about a minute before Jermaine coughed.  
  
"You know, Jack's the only one who still didn't give it a try."  
  
Jack grimaced. "Why are you putting me on the spot here?"  
  
"He's right, you know", Kimiko said, noticing it too. "We've all tried and gotten shot down _because_ we've all gotten promoted."  
  
Understanding dawning on him, Clay nodded his agreement.

"So we just need a person who's not in our rank to talk to him."  
  
"Hey", Jack protested. "You can't just throw this on me."  
  
Kimiko smiled and patted him on the shoulder.  
  
"Yes, we can and you're doing it."  
  
  
  
Jack ended up using the apprentices' training time to talk to Raimundo, after seeing some of it of course.  
  
  
He walked away after Kimiko's fire balls nearly scorched everything in their path, including him, and searched for a very moody Dragon.  
  
Jack didn't have to look that hard.

All he had to do was follow the sounds of sad 90's R&B.  
  
He found Raimundo splayed over his sleeping mat, faintly humming to the current song.  
  
"Tamia, huh?", Jack asked, leaning in the doorway. "How are you feeling, buddy?"  
  
Raimundo didn't even look at him. "Get out."  
  
Jack sucked his lip in. This was going south before it even began.  
  
"If you're going to stand there and pity me, get out", he added, sounding marginally more annoyed.  
  
Jack put a hand on his waist. "It's your lucky day then. I'm just here to talk."  
  
Raimundo sat up straight. "What about?"  
  
"You, being a dick", Jack said.  
  
Raimundo flopped back down, interest diminishing.  
  
Jack sighed. "You can be mad all you want at Master Fung, but none of the others deserve this, especially Jermaine ~~\--~~ now I know you don't like him, but ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Who said that?", Raimundo said, sitting up again.

He looked at Jack like he was suggesting something stupid.

"I love the guy; he's very easy to get along with. It's not like with Kimiko, when I had to decide if I wanted to be nice to her or if I wanted to flush all her jewelry down the toilet."  
  
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Okay, that's...a lot to take in ~~\--~~ I thought you and Kimiko liked each other?"  
  
"We do, a lot actually", Raimundo said, nodding. "It's just, she makes feel so confused sometimes ~~\--~~ in ways you can't even imagine."  
  
Jack scoffed, as a certain cowboy came to mind.

"I hear you, dude."  
  
Neither said anything for a while, until Jack remembered what he was here for.  
  
"So you're not upset?"  
  
"Oh no, I'm disappointed as fuck."  
  
Jack gave him a look. "With Master Fung?"  
  
"No", Raimundo said, dejected. "With myself, mostly. And fine, a little at the old man too."

He paced a little. "Did you see the way he yelled at me? Serious circus flashbacks." 

"Okay", Jack said. "What?" 

Raimundo bit his lip, considering something.

"I'm telling you this under our Nair pact--" 

"It was more of a threat but carry on." 

"Yeah, anyway", Raimundo said. "At the cricus, before I got that acrobat gig. I was a..." 

He trailed off, expression getting increasingly embarrassed. 

"A clown?", Jack offered. 

Raimundo shook his head. "No, that was just part-time. I was the cleaning boy." 

"Like after the animals or the people?" 

"Both. It sucked!" 

Raimundo rolled his eyes at the roof in indignance.

"My dad is a magician and my sisters were trapeze artists and the one time  _I_ decide to use nepotism, it backfires!"

Jack stayed silent, not knowing how to react until he remembered that Raimundo had a point. 

"How is that any similar to what you're doing now?" 

"At the end of the day, I get lots of yelling and no recognition." 

Raimundo sighed and prepared to say something. 

It was probably very hard for him to say because Jack could see him swallowing his pride.  
  
"I'm not gonna say this again. But as harsh as he was, the old man was right: what I did was stupid."  
  
"Nobody's disagreeing on that", Jack said, trying not to sound sarcastic.  
  
Raimundo glared at him. "Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking."  
  
Jack struggled to bite back a comment, as the other boy continued.  
  
"Everything got to me, you know", he explained.

He took a little breath.

"The whole thing at the vault and you saying Dojo wanted you to keep an eye on me and Fung telling us to hide because we couldn't fight that thing ~~\--~~ that was too much."  
  
"Yeah, about that", Jack said, sheepishly. "I kinda lied about the Dojo thing."  
  
Raimundo snorted. "Can't you tell I figured that out already?"  
  
Jack laughed nervously and looked around the room. "You probably want an explanation, yeah?"  
  
"What a smart boy", Raimundo said, sarcastically. "So?"  
  
Jack scratched his neck. "Okay, but if I tell you this, nobody else can know."  
  
He waited until the other nodded to continue.  
  
"I was worried you'd turn evil", Jack said.  
  
Raimundo looked confused. "Why would I turn evil?"  
  
"Because you kinda did before?", Jack said, nervously.  
  
"Okay", Raimundo said, surprised. "I did not see that coming ~~\--~~ why did I turn evil then?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "I don't know, can't remember. That was what I was trying to figure out."  
  
Having said that, he waited for the other boy to process the information.  
  
"They were probably better off without me", Raimundo said. "Weren't they?"  
  
Jack crossed his arms. "No, they _really_ weren't. Look, everytime any of you guys leave, the team suffers."  
  
"How do you know?", Raimundo asked.  
  
"Because I always tried to take advantage of it", Jack said, as if it was fairly obvious.  
  
He paused and tried to stitch his next sentence together.  
  
"The world fucking fell to chaos when Omi was gone and your team morale was nonexistant when Clay left and when you left....things got bad for everyone, including the other Heylin."  
  
"Things got bad?", Raimundo repeated, looking him up and down. "Is that really all you got?" 

Jack scoffed. "Yeah, I'm not about to give you any ideas. I'm not an idiot."  
  
"Why do I get the feeling you're lying to make me feel better?", Raimundo asked.  
  
"I'm not; if I were, I'd probably tell a better lie", Jack said, before he realized something. "And by the way, you should all appreciate Kimiko more. She's the only one who never left."  
  
"What about Jermaine?"  
  
"He wasn't an official part of the team in the other dimension."  
  
"Oh...I don't know how to feel about that."  
  
"Yeah, neither do I."  
  
Jack shook it off. "If you're not mad, can't you just go and hang out with the others."  
  
"No, I can't", Raimundo said, looking at Jack like he was an idiot. "It was all my fault and when I ran off to fix it, I somehow managed to ruin it even _more_."  
  
"Yes, but they got over it", Jack replied. "And they sorta think you're still mad at them."  
  
"I'm not, though", Raimundo said. "Can't they tell?"  
  
"No, we can't."  
  
Both boys turned to face the doorway, where the four other teenagers stood.  
  
"We can't", Omi repeated. "Because you chose not to speak to us after."  
  
Kimiko bit her lip. "You _could_ have just told us, we wouldn't have judged you."  
  
"Yeah, dude", Jermaine added. "I thought you were _pissed_ as fuck at me taking the promotion when you didn't."  
  
Raimundo raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be? I'm not upset at all, you deserve it ~~\--~~ look, you're Monk of the Week."  
  
"While I'm happy you're not mad", Clay said, scrutinizing his friend. "I don't get it, you _gave_ him points already?"  
  
Raimundo nodded. "Obviously, Clay. He saved our lives, that's at least ten thousand points."  
  
"So I'm guessing you owe me thirty points for saving you that last dumpling from lunch", the cowboy said, smiling. "Kimiko here tried to steal them from the kitchen during meditation."  
  
Said girl gasped, mock-offended. "Hey, fire takes a lot of work, it's not like _your_ sissy pre-existing elements!"  
  
The boys gave various yells of dissent and started protesting, with Omi taking the lead.  
  
Jack smiled and slipped away, having an idea or two about where Clay hid those dumplings.

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
The week following the make-up was the most peaceful, tension-free week the temple has seen since Mala Mala Jong.  
  
  
Everything was more or less back to normal.  
  
The monks continued showing up each other with silly bets, Kimiko complained that none of the old masters was taking her seriously because of her gender, Omi made sure Jermaine knew everything about their pre-apprentice training, and Raimundo made it his life's mission to fill Clay's hat with ten gallons of milk.

  
The only exception to the normalcy was the apprentices instructing their non-promoted friend on the new forms and techniques they were learning, usually after lights out. 

  
  
"And you don't think Master Fung is going to notice that he's suddenly caught up when he gets promoted?", Jack had asked one day as he sat in on one of the sessions.  
  
Clay tsk-ed. "To be honest, I think he's expecting us to do this."  
  
"Yeah", Jermaine agreed. "I heard him walking by this room yesterday and he didn't even bother."  
  
Jack shrugged. "Cool."  
  
They then turned their attention to the other three, standing further away.  
  
Kimiko and Omi were showing Raimundo a new move, with the latter teacher being practically vigilant about his methods.  
  
"No, no, no", Omi said, whispering angrily. "What, do you have two left feet?! Do it how I do it!"  
  
Raimundo stopped the form immediately and turned to face his shorter teacher.  
  
"If you make one more comment, you half-baked smurf, I swear to ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Stop making fun of people because of their height ~~\--~~ Clay's taller than you!"  
  
"Yeah, but I'm taller than _you_ and that's just eating your fucking Napoleon complex, isn't it?"  
  
As they continued taking shots at each other, the others sighed.  
  
"They're fighting again", Kimiko announced redundantly. "Why did we think this was a good idea?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "Omi insisted he was a good teacher."

"Guys, can't you fight in the morning?", Jermaine groaned. "You're going to wake the entire temple."  
  
"You know, Jay", Raimundo said. "You're right; I'm done."  
  
He proceeded to wake away and out of the room before Omi stopped him.  
  
"And just where do you think you're going?"  
  
"To take a _leak_ ", Raimundo answered, stressing every word. "Unless you want to show me how to do that too?"  
  
Omi scoffed and crossed his arms. "I don't want to, but your aim _does_ suck."  
  
The older boy simply sighed and raised a middle finger before walking away, followed by the much tinier teacher, who was still muttering aggressive constructive criticisms.  
  
Jack sighed. "Just another day at the Xiaolin temple."  
  
"Got that right. You know, fellas", Clay said. "I wish this could be something we can laugh about in the morning, but you just know they're gonna do that again. And again. They're like cats and dogs; it's enough to ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Make a preacher cuss", Kimiko finished with an imitation of the cowboy's accent.  
  
Jermaine raised an eyebrow. "And how did you know that?"  
  
"The southern virus infected me and now I'm too far gone", Kimiko said, deadpan.  
  
  
  
Eventually the overwhelming bickering turned into regular old-fashioned pettiness, though it definitely took the two instigators some getting used to.  
  
Jack sighed as he watched Omi give up and  flop beside Jermaine.  
  
"You're my boyfriend, cheer me up", Omi said, laying his head on Jermaine's shoulder.  
  
The latter shook his head. "I won't do that, O, you had that one coming."  
  
"Yeah, you should've not probably mentioned his mother", Clay said, wincing at the event that just went down. "That was jus' _ugly_."  
  
Jack hummed his agreement and focused on Kimiko, who was now trying to teach Raimundo the move Omi failed to.  
  
"And be careful", she warned. "That one needs you to be as un-clumsy as possible, or you'll end up like my dad."  
  
Jack couldn't see the relation. "You mean a successful video game mogul?"  
  
"No", Kimiko said, rolling her eyes. "With no real teeth."  
  
Raimundo stopped what he was doing.

"What?"  
  
"Yeah, all of his teeth are fake", Kimiko said, not seeing the horror on his face. "I mean, I keep telling him to not design and drive but that's just what he does."  
  
She paused, looking thoughtful. "I'm pretty sure that's why his dentist is his closest friend."  
  
"Wow", Clay said after a while. " _You_ don't get to judge any of my Granny Lilly stories again."  
  
Kimiko was about to argue but Dojo interrupted as he flew into the rock garden.  
  
"Hey, Merry Men", the dragon began. "And Maid Marian. We've got some work to do!"  
  
Omi raised a hand. "Can I be Robin Hood?"  
  
"Ew", Kimiko said, before focusing on the dragon. "What is it, Dojo?"  
  
Dojo unrolled the magic scroll. "A Shen Gong Wu just revealed itself!"  
  
"Cool", Jack said, peering into the scroll. "Wait, that's the Reversing Mirror ~~\--~~ isn't that already revealed?"  
  
Dojo looked at him like he was seriously out of touch. "No, it literally just revealed itself."  
  
"But it was revealed in my dimension."  
  
"Okay, so? You mess up with a dimension and some things tend to jumble up, kid."  
  
The dragon then turned his attention back to the scroll.  
  
"This wu can reverse the effect of any Shen Gong Wu."  
  
Jermaine looked interested. " _Any_ Shen Gong Wu?"  
  
"Yep, pretty much", Dojo said.  
  
"So what if you use it on the Golden Tiger Claws?", he asked.  
  
Jack was dumbfounded. " _That_ is one good question."  
  
"Ah yes", Dojo said, in a resigned tone. "That's how we lost Richie."  
  
Clay raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is Richie?"  
  
"He was a Water Dragon", Dojo explained. "One of our brightest, but he was too cocky for his own good ~~\--~~ one day, he used the Reversing Mirror on the Claws and, poof!"  
  
The dragon looked reminiscently at the horizon.  
  
"I wonder if he made it out alive somehow", he said. "Of course, even if he did, he's as good as dead now. This was in the 1910's."  
  
Raimundo broke the ensuing silence.  
  
"A Water Dragon who's too cocky for his own good, reminds you of anyone, _Omi_?"

Kimiko put a hand on Omi's mouth. "When can we get going, Dojo?"  
  
Dojo snapped out of his stroll on memory lane. "We can get going right after you pack some wu. This one will be _really_ sought after."  
  
Jack didn't need to be told twice.  
  
He headed straight to the vault with his mind set on the two wu that were used in that particular showdown in the original dimension.  
  
"The Lotus Twister and the Claws?", Jermaine asked after he caught up with him. "That's...random."  
  
Jack took a step back and surveyed the vault for more useful wu. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."  
  
"Get the Star Hanabi", Kimiko said, voice coming into the room before she did. "It's my favorite."  
  
Jack sighed. "Yeah, I know ~~\--~~ any more requests?"  
  
"Yes! The Orb of Tornami, please."  
  
"Ooh, and the Sword of the Storm!"  
  
"That Lasso Boa Boa will be mighty fine too."  
  
As their requests mingled in an effort to make themselves heard, Jack grumbled and hurried to get their wu before Dojo whistled and broke the chatter.  
  
"Hey", the dragon said, sternly. "We're not walking around with all that wu!"  
  
Omi protested. "But ~~\--~~ "  
  
"No buts, young man! Return at least one", Dojo said, hands on his waist.  
  
After much arguing and compromising over chores, the monks decided they were leaving the Orb of Tornami behind.  
  
"Good luck putting out that fire Kimiko will surely start", Omi muttered.  
  
Said girl sighed. "It was an accident."  
  
"Master Lin's left eyebrow still hasn't grown back, but okie dokie."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Dragons", Dojo said in a voice loud enough to drown them out. "And Jack. I'm going outside and I'm supersizing and whoever comes late isn't gonna come with us on the wu hunt!"  
  
Jack joined in the united groans and followed the dragon outside.

 

  
"Seriously?!"  
  
It was needless to say, judging by the vein threatening to pop on Jack's forehead, that he was unpleasantly surprised.  
  
He had expected the Reversing Mirror to be in that same old lighthouse it was originally found in.  
  
Instead, the Mirror they were currently looking for was somehow in the middle of a forest.  
  
"That fucking Mirror", Jack said, disdainfully. "Was in a lighthouse before ~~\--~~ how did it in a forest?!"  
  
Dojo shrugged. "Shen Gong Wu get relocated a lot ~~\--~~ sometimes people find them and keep them or just throw them anywhere, like here."  
  
Jack huffed and considered the dragon's words. It made sense; that lighthouse was probably demolished now.  
  
The monks were looking around the place, scanning their surroundings for anything magical.  
  
"I should have worn regular hiking boots", Kimiko began, glaring at Jack. "But _somebody_ said we were going to an ice-cold wasteland!"  
  
Raimundo, undoing his winter scarf, seconded her protests.

"We're sweating like pigs, Stalker Boy."  
  
"Oh, I don't sweat", Kimiko said, waving it off. "I glisten."  
  
Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Well, you're _glistening_ like a pig."  
  
Jack huffed. "You know, I wintered too; this is punishment enough."  
  
With hands on his waist, Jack turned to look at the other three, who were wholly immersed in a whole other conversation, lagging behind.  
  
"And how do you know those berries are poisonous?", Jermaine asked, slightly curious.  
  
Clay gave a confident smile. "Easy, those are the same berries my ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Say 'my Granny Lilly' one more time, Clay", Omi said, wagging a finger. "And I swear I _will_ scream."  
  
Clay rolled his eyes and continued. "My _Aunt_ _Betsy_ had one every day for the last five years."  
  
Jack was surprised to find himself joining in the conversation.  
  
"Your aunt eats poisonous berries?", he asked, impressed and a little disturbed.  
  
Clay nodded. "Sure does. She thinks one of her knitting club friends is out to get her and she decided she's taking precautions."  
  
"So she poisons herself a little everyday to gain some immunity. Smart", Kimiko said. "My dad's business partner does the same."  
  
Jack was excited to find that this was one thing they had in common.

"So does my uncle Greg!"

Jermaine and Raimundo shared a look, before the latter spoke. "Good God, and I thought my family was weird."  
  
"Tell me about it", Jermaine agreed. "I thought we were weird because of the whole Xiaolin bloodline thing, but apparently some people have families who poison themselves and run away to acting troupes."  
  
Raimundo gave him a look. "That was _me_ and I told you that in confidence."  
  
"Oh", Jermaine said, raising an eyebrow. "You're weird too."  
  
"No Nair for him?", Jack asked snidely.  
  
Raimundo feigned confusion. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Before Jack could say anything about the seventy bottles of well-hidden Nair, Jermaine put a hand in the air and stopped all conversation.  
  
"You hear that?", he asked.  
  
The gang shared looks, none really knowing what to say.  
  
"I see dead people?", Dojo offered. "The Sixth Sense was a classic but now is not the time for impersonations."  
  
Jermaine frowned. "It's not that. This will sound weird ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Ah", Clay said, scratching his chin. "On a scale from Rai sneezing and flying thirteen feet into the air to Kim breathing better fire than Dojo?"  
  
Dojo looked thoughtful. "Normally, I would be insulted, but she does have me beat there."  
  
"I think a tree is talking to me", Jermaine answered, as he avoided looking at his friends.  
  
Omi nodded. "So, like, scale-wise it's like when Clay stepped on one of his action figures and accidentally caused an earthquake?"  
  
"Pretty much", Jermaine said. "Am I losing it?"  
  
Dojo shook his head. "No, perfectly normal Wood Dragon behavior ~~\--~~ you have a friend everywhere you go."  
  
"Going to Central Park will be a lot harder then", Jermaine said, shaking it off. "Anyway, it's this way."  
  
Trying to shake off vivid Bruce Willis images out of his head, Jack asked. "How do you know?"  
  
"The tree talking to me said it's this way."  
  
Kimiko was giving Jack a scathing look.

"It was right there, dude; you're literally the least perceptive person I know."  
  
Jack scoffed, as Raimundo took the chance to make a quip, as per usual.  
  
"Yeah, 'Mama, you'll never guess ~~\--~~ one of my friends can talk to trees and no, none of us were high this time'", he began in a mockingly cheerful tone. "I never thought thay might be a potential opener. Ever."  
  
Jermaine rolled his eyes. "I know what you mean ~~\--~~ check this out, 'hey, Janine, your boy is ~~\--'~~ "  
  
"Don't finish that sentence if you want a good night's sleep", Raimundo warned.  
  
Jermaine grumbled the rest of the comeback to Omi as he lead them to where the tree told them.  
  
They seemed to be getting close because, soon enough, Dojo stopped complaining about his rash and started picking up signs too.  
  
"Right there", he said at the same moment Jermaine pointed at a high branch on the tree in front of them. "The Reversing Mirror."  
  
"I'm going to get it", Clay said, pulling his regular lasso out of his pocket.  
  
The lasso was snatched out of his hands before he got to use it.  
  
"Look what the cat found crawling in."  
  
He didn't need to turn around to know who it was; the Dior and overwhelming smell of cat hair was more than enough to tell.  
  
Jack closed his eyes and sighed. "Ashley."  
  
"It's Katnappe", she said, with an even more exasperated sigh. "You know what, I'm not gonna bother anymore. At least my new enemies get it, right?"  
  
Ashley looked at the monks, as if she was sincerely asking for their opinion.  
  
"I really don't care what you call yourself", Kimiko said, shrugging. "To me, you're just the tacky white girl we keep running into."  
  
Ashley put a hand on her hip. "At least come up with an original nickname."  
  
"And call you what, Cat Woman? And disgrace the name of former Dragon Eartha Kitt? I don't think so."  
  
"That cannot be true; I don't believe Ms. Kitt was one of you losers."  
  
Dojo cleared his throat and held up something that looks like a yearbook.

"Actually she was. One of the finest Water Dragons we had."  
  
The others looked considerably bummed, save for Omi, who looked prouder than usual.  
  
"Whatever", Ashley said annoyed. "Let's get to it already! Kittens!"

Jermaine was confused. "Did she just say kittens?"  
  
"Oh yeah", Clay said as if just noticing. "This is your first fight; you'll get used to it."  
  
Jack nodded. "They're just creepy genetically altered kittens ~~\--~~ they were Ashley's new thing after her horse phase."  
  
Ashley looked upset, but the storm of tiny vicious kittens drowned out whichever insult she decided to use this time.  
  
Smirking as the kittens labelled him as a non-threat and passed him over, Jack began running for the tree.  
  
The monks had already began fighting the monstrosities, which would give him more than enough time to get the Mirror so they can leave.  
  
 Even if he wasn't willing to admit that it wounded him that they went through those kittens slower than they had his Jackbots.  
  
Jack struggled to climb the tree and cursed himself for forgetting to activate the helibot, which he promptly did now.  
  
After his very short flight to the high branch, Jack went for the wu only for his hand to touch it at the same time somebody else's did. Ashley's.  
  
"That climb was pathetic", she said, lips pursed in distaste. "And I'm not even that much of a gymnast."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we all figured that out in your last showdown."  
  
"Whatever", Ashley said, focusing on the now-glowing mirror between them. "Just challenge me already."  
  
Jack narrowed his eyes. "Fine. I challenge you to a Xiaolin showdown, my Lotus Twister against your ~~\--~~ what do you have?"  
  
"Wings of Tinabi. Name your game, doofus."  
  
Jack looked around him, trying to look for anything he could use.  
  
This wasn't the lighthouse, so that plan was dead before it even began.  
  
This was a forest, full of trees that talk to Jermaine and birds and other small animals, including squirrels, which still frightened Omi in this dimen ~~\--~~  
  
_Omi_ , Jack thought, remembering a familiar showdown the youngest monk posed.  
  
He'd said it was important to use an appropriate setting, which is why he'd chosen ~~\--~~  
  
"Acorn collecting!", Jack yelled before he could control himself. "The challenge is acorn collecting."  
  
Ashley looked like she was having a hard time believing her ears. "What?"  
  
"He said the challenge is collecting acorns", Omi yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. "As in, whoever collects the most acorns wins!"  
  
Ashley glared. "I heard him."  
  
Turning to Jack, she added. "And what will you have us do next? Churn our own butter?"  
  
"You can always forfeit", Dojo offered.  
  
"As if", Ashley said, scoffing. "Let's go, Xiaolin showdown!"  
  
The minute she said the last two words, reality started re-warping.  
  
The forest remained more or less unchanged, even if it seemed to get magically bigger.  
  
The trees, though, started stretching into incredible heights, with the spaces between their acorns getting bigger and bigger.  
  
Jack and Ashley took their positions and prepared themselves.  
  
"Gong Yi Tan Pai!", they both yelled.  
  
Jack immediately grabbed his wu. "Lotus Twister."  
  
He expanded himself and weaved left and right and collected the acorns off the tree, surprising even himself with the speed.  
  
Fighting for the good guys wasn't something Jack thought he would ever like or find exhilarating, yet there he was, expanding as far as that wu would take him and collecting acorns like a gold medalist.

And it didn't hurt that Ashley was eating his dust.  
  
Knowing that his opponent had a lot to catch up to, Jack turned to the audience in the makeshift bush seats and began to gloat.  
  
"Did you see that?! Did you? I'm killing it!"  
  
The Dragons were yelling something back too, though Jack couldn't really hear them.  
  
He thought they were cheering at first but quickly discovered they weren't.  
  
Kimiko's eyes widened as she flailed her arms, Raimundo cupped his hands around his mouth to make his voice louder but only succeeded in hiding the words, and the others were yelling things and motioning with their arms.  
  
Finally Clay's voice reached him in all its twangy glory.

"Behind you!"  
  
Jack scrunched his face and turned behind him to find something hurling closer to his face.

It got closer and closer until it hit him square in the forehead and part of the nose.  
  
The shock of the hit made Jack waver and drop most of his acorns as Ashley soared into the finish line, victorious and missing one of her boots.  
  
The world rewarped as the showdown ended and Ashley stood with the Mirror, the Lotus Twister, and her Wings of Tinabi.  
  
She wasted no time taunting him. "Not so hot now, are you?"  
  
"You can't do that!", Jack said, immediately getting off the ground and bounding to the catsuit girl. "You can't throw a shoe at me; you cheated!"  
  
Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes.  
  
 "I stole a diamond from my godmother when I was six, I'm currently helping an immortal witch achieve world dominion, _and_ I double-park. Not exactly a good guy, doofus."  
  
Even though he fully realized the irony behind _him_ , of all people, getting mad about cheating, Jack couldn't stop himself.  
  
"Still", he protested. "You're _only_ supposed to use the wu on you!"  
  
Dojo cleared his throat as he looked through the rulebook.

"Actually, it says nothing here about using objects, like boots and the like, to knock out your opponents."  
  
Ashley pointed at the dragon. "See? Even when I'm not playing by the rules, I'm still playing by the rules."  
  
"What the ~~\--~~ ", Jack began, not knowing who to turn to first. "You never care about the rules! And you're supposed to be on _my_ side!"  
  
Ashley slipped on the Wings of Tinabi and gave them her best condescending look.  
  
"Anyhoo", she said, preparing for takeoff. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I don't want to."  
  
Watching her fly off, Jack cursed himself on the inside.  
  
He had it in the bag, but somehow he managed to lose. Again.  
  
"Hey, I know this won't mean much", Kimiko said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But that was a _real_ Prada boot."  
  
Behind her, a storm of incredulousness started.  
  
Jermaine's voice rang the clearest. "How is that supposed to make him feel better?"  
  
"It should", Kimiko said, and Jack didn't need to look at her to know she was rolling her eyes.  
  
"Do you know how _embarrassing_ it is to be hit in the face with knockoff Pradas?"

 

* * *

 

  
  
  
The situation seemed harder to explain to the elderly masters back at the temple.  
  
  
"So we lost a wu", Omi was saying to Master Fung. "Big deal, there'll be other wu to get."  
  
Jack smiled. Even though he felt like crap, hearing that meant a lot to him.  
  
"Thanks, Om ~~\--~~ "  
  
But of course, because Omi sometimes lost control over the point he tried to make, it didn't stop there.  
  
"Should Jack have focused more on his showdown? Sure. Should he have known better than to waste time gloating? Absolutely. Should he stop listening to Nickelback? _Duh_! Should ~~\--~~ "  
   
Before Omi could elaborate more, Clay put a hand on his mouth.  
  
"I think what the little fella here is trying to say, in a lot of unnecessary words, is that we'll have better luck next time."  
  
Master Fung seemed to be on the verge of a headache. "I second that, Clay ~~\--~~ losing isn't something to be ashamed of, it's ~~\--~~ "  
  
"We lost the Reversing Mirror!", Dojo said in a panic.  
  
Master Fung turned grey and his expression slipped for the fraction of a second.  
  
"Oh dear", he said, already on the move. "Dojo, call the rest of the masters and have them meet me in the vault."  
  
The dragon nodded and immediately flew off in the direction opposite Master Fung, who started moving at incredible speed.  
  
"Look on the bright side", Raimundo said, somehow sounding sarcastic even when trying to be reassuring. "No one said shit about a thousand years of darkness."  
  
Master Luong's voice echoed to the tea room they were in.

"This is the end! Ten thousand years of darkness will befall us!"  
  
Kimiko glared. "Congratulations, Rai, you jinxed it. It's ten thousand now!"  
  
  
  
  
Later that day, Jack sat with the monks in their room, barely listening to any of their conversations.  
  
"It's definitely serious if Master Fung's cancelling training though", Jermaine said, as he played with the cards absent-mindedly.  
  
Omi nodded. "I never thought that _was_ possible until today."

"Yeah, tell me about it", Kimiko said, taking all the cards and shuffling them again. "Anyone up for another game?"  
  
Clay snorted. "What's the point? You keep winning and I don't have a death wish to bet more chores."  
  
"You're breaking our backs with those K.O's, babe", Raimundo agreed, laying back on his back.  
  
Kimiko shrugged. "It's not _my_ fault your poker faces are terrible."  
  
She looked at Jack, who has been quiet for a while, and titled her head.  
  
 "And what's wrong with you?"  
  
Jack avoided looking at any of them. "We lost a wu."  
  
The others shared looks, confused and possibly surprised.  
  
"So?", Clay asked. "Win some, lose some."  
  
Jack couldn't answer him.  
  
He had no idea why losing this wu felt terrible when he's lost it before.  
  
He lost a lot of wu before, arguably in more humiliating ways, but it never felt this bad.  
  
"Because being a part of this team makes me feel guilty when I can't help."

 _Shit_. He didn't mean to say that.  
  
Jack looked at the Dragons discreetly; they seemed as shocked by his sharing as he had been.  
  
"I once cost my football team at the circus a street championship because I got way overconfident", Raimundo said, clearly embarrassed.  
  
Jack appreciated the gesture and couldn't leave him hanging. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah", he said. "I wanted to make the winning goal and ended up helping the other team."  
  
He paused a little. "Of course that team ended up recuriting me and I betrayed my team out of spite, but I made up with them eventually and became team captain until last year."  
  
The room got quiet after that story and someone coughed.  
  
"When I was eight, my parents told me not to go this horseriding competition because I was too young", Clay said. "But I went anyway and before you know it, I got a cast, the one time I broke the rules."   
  
Jermaine was next. "I had a friend who convinced me to run away and I did it ~~\--~~ stayed gone for two weeks until I ran out of food and I had to go home. Imagine my mom's face when I came back!"   
  
"My turn", Kimiko said, excited to share. "So, I was six and ~~\--~~ "  
  
"This isn't another one of your demon child stories, is it?", Omi asked, nervously. "Because last time I had trouble sleeping."  
  
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "No and give it a rest already."  
  
"Yeah, Omi", Raimundo said, mock-defending. "You know Kimiko is more like that kid from the Omen."  
  
"Shut up", she said, laughing and throwing a pillow at him.  
  
He threw a pillow back and, needless to say, a pillow war broke out.  
  
Amidst the flying pillows, Jack found himself laughing and feeling slightly less miserable.  
  
He had almost thought he was lucky to have the monks as friends until a pillow hit him in the face.  
  
  
  
  
Over the next couple of days, the mood in the temple seriously plummeted.  
  
Jack noticed it in various things.  
  
The sudden, much shorter temper the masters acquired, the tight training schedule that meant he only saw the Dragons at shared meals, and the heavy guarding of the vault all day long.  
  
He couldn't blame them really, since he understood their motive and would have probably done the same thing.  
  
The same couldn't be said for the monks, though.  
  
"All I said was one little joke about Master Fung's dome glowing in the sun", Raimundo grumbled, leaning on his mop. "And now I have to clean all the temple floors by myself."  
  
Clay hummed knowingly and crossed his arms. "You don't mess with a man's dome, Rai."  
  
"Apparently there are a lot of man's stuff you can't mess with", Kimiko said, barely looking up from her phone. "Is there a book?"  
  
Clay rolled his eyes at her while Jermaine just added something else.  
  
"He _was_ pretty pissed off the entire day so you kinda had it coming"  
  
Omi nodded. "Yeah, I asked him if I can leave training to go to the bathroom and he told me to just pee in the koi pond."  
  
"You didn't do that, did you?", Jack asked. "Just to confirm."  
  
Omi gave him a look. "Of course not, I held it in until I couldn't and Raimundo told me to just pee in the forrest near training ground."

Everyone turned to give the latter looks with varying levels of disgust, which he just scoffed at.  
  
"Like you've never pissed in the woods before", Raimundo said, shrugging it off.  
  
Kimiko put a hand on her hip. "We don't make a habit out of it."  
  
"Your loss", he said. "Hold it in until your bladder chokes and give out."  
  
She scoffed. "And what's the alternative? Making the world my toilet?"  
  
"If it automatically flushes then yes."  
  
"Can we finish this disgusting conversation?", Omi interjected. "Please?"  
  
Jermaine smiled weakly. "You're one who started this, water boy."  
  
"I did", Omi agreed, sighing. "Somehow I didn't see this coming and ~~\--~~ "  
  
He stopped abruptly, face going blank.  
  
Jack's stomach twisted into a knot.  
  
"You okay?", he asked.  
  
Omi ignored and moved, as if in a trance, into  the hallway and out of the first exit he saw.  
  
"I hope he's not possessed", Jermaine said, following the youngest monk.  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "Wouldn't be the weirdest thing we've seen here."  
  
  
The gang followed Omi in a roundabout circle to the vault, at which he stopped and looked around apprehensively.  
  
"Omi", Kimiko began, slowly. "I think I speak for everyone when I say; dude, what the fuck?"  
  
He didn't respond and only stared ahead, body slowly assuming a fighting stance.  
  
Raimundo walked to Omi and snapped his fingers in front of the younger boy's eyes.  
  
"How did I get here?", Omi said, eyes fluttering like he was in a dream.  
  
Clay looked at him worriedly. "You tell us, partner."  
  
"You just...went", Jermaine added. "Like you were hypnotized."  
  
Omi raised an eyebrow. "Really? I had no idea, I just felt like something was calling me to come here. Felt like ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Tiger Instincts?", Jack offered, now recognizng it for what it was.  
  
Omi nodded. "Something like that."  
  
"What are these Tiger Instincts telling you?", Kimiko asked, nervously.  
  
"Something is coming", he answered, body tensing even more. "And we certainly won't like it."  
  
Clay bit his lip. "So, colloquially speaking; there's a storm coming?"  
  
Omi suddenly flinched and Jack nodded.  
  
"Colloquially speaking, I think that's a yes."  
  
The rest of the Dragons got into fighting stances too, expressions showing that they were feeling something too.  
  
Unconsciously, Jack took out his wrench out of his pocket and closed his fists, keeping them both out and ready for a fight.  
  
Dramatically walking out of the shadows like a good villian for once, Ashley smirked.  
  
"I didn't expect a welcome party", she said, sarcastically. "You shouldn't have!"  
  
Clay's expression was flat. "We didn't."  
  
"Who cares, Sundance Kid?"  
  
"Sundance Kid?!"  
  
Ashley smirked, which greatly disturbed Jack for more than the usual reasons.  
  
"I hope you don't mind", she said, holding a small round object. "I brought enough of me to go around."  
  
"What?", Jermaine asked, confused.  
  
Ashley smriked again. "Shadow Slicer."  
  
A horde of Ashleys, one of Jack's greatest secret fears since grade school, swarmed the yard.  
  
"Oh sweet baby Jesus", Clay said, taking a step back. "That's a whole lot of girls I can't fight."  
  
Kimiko shared his disturbed expression.  
  
"I think the world you're looking for is fuck, cowboy."  
  
"Works too."  
  
"Guys", Jack said, almost forgetting they didn't know what this wu did. "This isn't like the Ring of Nine Dragons; those are shadow copies."  
  
Raimundo nodded, taking a step back when the Ashleys smiled identically at the same time.  
  
"And which one is the real thing?"  
  
"Yeah, we'll have to figure that one out."  
  
The monks wasted no time for sarcastic quips and immediately attacked, making the shadow copies disappear.  
  
"This is actually kinda fun", Kimiko said, whacking a shadow Katnappe on the head. "Like popping bubble wrap kinda fun."  
  
Jermaine agreed. "Like Whack-a-Mole."  
  
"Oh, I miss that! We should go ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Focus, guys", Raimundo said, throwing quick kicks left and right. "If we get this done, maybe Fung'll let me off the hook!"

Jack heard Omi snort at that to his right.  
  
He almost said something but chose to continue throwing aimless punches around before stopping entirely.  
  
This was a fun excercise, true, but they had to get rid of Ashley sooner than later.  
   
Jack scanned the yard and zeroed on the only Ashley that had a visible shadow.  
  
Cringing a lot, Jack couldn't help but keep feel that there was something off about her.  
  
Ashley was just standing there, surveying the monks as they bashed her shadow copies.  
  
It was so unrealistic.  
  
The Ashley he knew wouldn't just be standing there like a scarecrow or a robot.

She would be out there kicking their behinds as much as possible while not staying at all quiet.  
  
But now, she was just standing there. What for, he had no idea.  
  
_God_ , Jack thought, rolling his eyes. She was smirking again, with her stupid genetically altered teeth, which must have cost a ~~\--~~  
  
He squinted a little before putting on his googles and activating the enhanced vision.  
  
That was what off.

Ashley's teeth were normal, as if she had never paid the budget of a small country's government to get them done.  
  
A thought came back to Jack and he found himself walking calmly to the still Ashley.  
  
Omi stopped kicking the copies. "Where are you going?"  
  
"You'll see", he said mechanically as he continued on his way.  
  
The others, too, stopped fighting to look at Jack now standing in front of Ashley.  
  
"What's the matter, doofus?", she said, with that disturbing grin. "Are you here to ~~\--~~ "  
  
She didn't get to finish the pre-recorded line as Jack slapped her with the wrench in his hand so hard her head actually spun.  
  
The wires started popping soon after.  
  
Jack sighed and turned around to see the justifiably horrified looks on the monks' faces.  
  
"She stole my Chameleon-Bot", he said, a little redundantly.  
  
Kimiko removed her hands from over her mouth.  
  
"Dude", she began. "That was the most disturbing thing I have _ever_ seen."  
  
Clay nodded. "Yeah, a bit extreme, I reckon, but it got the job done."  
  
"Yup", Raimundo said. "But if she's not actually here then..."  
  
Jermaine closed his eyes, as if pained. "Don't tell me she's in that vault."  
  
"She's definitely in that vault", Jack confirmed in a non-pleasant tone.  
  
Omi grumbled as he began to turn around.  
  
"That is so obvious, how did we not see this coming?!"  
  
"Because I outsmarted you", Ashley said, walking out of the vault. "Double clones. Not many think about it."  
  
She gave a big smile, showing all her genetically altered teeth.  
  
"And thank you, Jack, for always leaving a copy of your key under the welcome mat."  
  
Jermaine side-eyed him. "Dude."  
  
"I'm forgetful, sue me", Jack said, crossing his arms self-consciously.  
  
Kimiko sighed. "We will."  
  
"Anyway", Ashley said, showing off the wu she stole. "I might miss this occasional nuisance when you're destroyed."  
  
Grinning, she activated the wu before any of the monks could stop her. "Serpent's Tail."  
  
Ashley's body turned into a ghostly silhouette that Jack could only observe in horror as she shot through the air and the monks' bodies.  
  
"That was creepy", Omi commented, shuddering.  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "The horror factor kind of goes down when an immortal ghost goes through you first."  
  
"We need to follow her", Jack said, running after the ghostly girl in the catsuit. "Something very bad will happen!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The world is going to end!"  
  
Jermaine crossed his arms.  
  
 "The world seems like it's about to end an awful lot here."

  
They ran after Ashley and into the nearby forest, frantic and worried.  
  
"There", Clay yelled, pointing at the now re-materialized thief.  
  
Jermaine was closest. "On it."  
  
Ashley muttered something under her breath, probably a curse, and increased her speed.  
  
The others followed and Jack did too after a while, hoping that Jermaine would catch Ashley or that she would trip and lose the wu before she reached the purple ghost Jack knew was around.

Neither happened.  
  
Jermaine almost had Ashley's tail in his grasp when said girl threw the wu in her hand into the air.  
  
Jack followed the procession of the wu, soaring until it passed by the Reversing Mirror, posted in front of Wuya in all her ghostly anticipation.  
  
When the wu was in between the ghost and the Mirror, Ashley evaded Jermaine's grip and unhooked her cat tail and lassoed the wu.  
  
"Serpent's Tail!", she yelled, activating it.  
  
Wuya didn't miss her cue. "Reversing Mirror!"  
  
A shining green light engulfed everything in the forest and tinted it with the glow of transformation.  
  
It took everything in Jack's power to not curl on the floor and scream.  
  
Wuya was back and she was currently taking off the mask that covered her beautiful, evil face.  
  
"So this is the end of the world?", Omi asked, whispering in an awe.  
  
Raimundo nodded. "Yeah, saw it coming ~~\--~~ my moon was in a _really_ bad place today."  
  
"Maybe let's not joke about this?"  
  
"I wasn't joking."  
  
The two boys immediately quieted when the immortal Heylin witch turned her eyes on the Dragons.  
  
"It's great to be back!", she said, stretching her arms.  
  
Ashley, who was as surprised by the transformation as they were.  
  
"Yeah, you look very...corporeal."  
  
Wuya grinned. "Thank you, Katnappe."  
  
"And you", she said, turning to the monks again with evil settling into her expression. "Prepare to meet your demise."  
  
Wuya cackled as green energy gathered in her hands.  
  
She let the fire go and Jack closed his eyes in preparation for a pain that never came.  
  
"Huh?", Kimiko said, confused. "What ~~\--~~ what happened? Why aren't we dead?"  
  
Ashley nodded. "Good point. Why aren't they dead?"  
  
Wuya looked at her hands and gathered the energy again only for it to fizzle down.  
  
"This never happened before", she muttered, staring at her hands in shock. "The only time something close to this happened was when.."  
  
She trailed off and glared at the sky.  
  
"I know how to fix this", Wuya said, sounding more mildly annoyed than anything. "And when I do, you little Xiaolin runts _better_ hide."  
  
She turned and walked away, deeper into the forest, followed by a shrugging Ashley.  
  
Before she was out of earshot, the gang heard Wuya say one last thing.  
  
"Walking away isn't nearly as glamorous as teleporting away!" 

 

* * *

 

  
  
"That is rather strange."

  
That was the first thing Master Fung said when they told him the news.  
  
"Peculiar indeed", he added redundantly, paying no mind to the panicking dragon.  
  
" _Peculiar_!", Dojo said in disbelief. "Wuya is back and all you can say is _peculiar_?!"  
  
Master Fung ignored him. "So she had no powers at all? No magic?"  
  
"None", Clay confirmed. "She can gather some green energy fire typa' thing, but that's about it."  
  
Raimundo nodded. "Yeah, you'd think a witch would have more going on, but she's kinda...blah."  
  
"Blah?", Dojo said. "Kid, you haven't seen Wuya in the height of her power ~~\--~~ terrifying, horrible; you'd have gotten nightmares!"  
  
Jack observed as Master Fung and Dojo shared a worried look.  
  
"Dojo is right", the old master said. "We mustn't let down our guards."  
  
Master Fung left promptly, saying something to Dojo about gathering the other masters.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this", Kimiko said, voicing what was on everyone's minds.  
  
  
  
The next two days passed in the same manner that first day Wuya came back did, in a state that was neither worry nor confidence.  
  
They were suspended in the middle, not really able to enjoy any activity without feeling like a smile or a joke is crossing a line.  
  
Jack felt almost suffocated by the atmosphere and almost told the monks he felt like maybe taking a day or two off before wisely choosing not to.  
  
It wasn't like they had that current luxury.  
  
Instead, he resigned himself to accepting the perpetually tense state and tried to unwind by joining the Dragons in doing absolutely nothing after hours.   
  
  
"What are you doing, losers?", he asked, walking into their room one night.  
  
Clay looked up from the game for a split second.

"Playing, take a seat and you can play next."  
  
Jack took a look at them and sighed.  
  
Omi, Jermaine, and Clay were playing that game again with the strategy planning and the figurines, which was code for 'play fighting with dolls'.  
  
"I'll pass", he said, sitting down next to Kimiko, who was on the phone. "And what are you two doing?  
  
"I'm texting Keiko."  
  
"I'm doing nothing, you should consider it."  
  
Jack shrugged and tried to fruitlessly relax, but his thoughts kept going back to Wuya and the impending doom she posed.  
  
A laugh that bubbled out of Kimiko as she showed Raimundo a text jolted him back to reality.  
  
"How are you just sitting around like this?"  
  
"Like what?", Omi asked.  
  
Jack struggled with the words. "Like, like the world isn't about to _end_?"  
  
"Because it isn't", Jermaine said as if Jack had missed it. "You saw, Wuya's powerless."  
  
"For now", Jack added. "You're forgetting this is temporary."  
  
Clay barely looked at him. "Partner, who said a word about forgetting?"  
  
"But ~~\--~~ "  
  
"Would you rather we freak out the entire day like the masters do?", Kimiko asked. "Because they do enough of that for all of us."  
  
Jack didn't know how to answer without feeling like an ass.  
  
"I don't ~~\--~~ so you have ideas then?"  
  
Kimiko shook her head. "No, apparently none of my plans will work according to Dojo."  
  
"I got an idea", Raimundo said.  
  
"Are you about to mock my hair or music taste again?", Jack asked.  
  
Raimundo shook his head. "Maybe in a few, but I got a real idea this time."  
  
He paused to gather enough momentum.  
  
"We kill her!"  
  
If Jack didn't know the other boy could easily dropkick him into a coma, he would have hit him upside the head.  
  
"What kind of idiot are you?", he said, turning to look at the others. "She's an _immortal_ witch ~~\--~~ you saw her before, she was a ghost!"  
  
He turned to Omi, seeking support. "Can you believe him?"  
  
Omi shook his head. "I don't ~~\--~~ "  
  
He paused, a sudden realization dawning on him.  
  
"Oh my God, that's genius!"  
  
Jack was confused. "I'm sorry?"  
  
"Yeah", Kimiko said, almost as surprised as Omi. "If we kill her, she'll just return to being a pesky ghost!"  
  
Clay nodded his agreement. "And then she'll be much less of a threat. I like your thinking, partner."  
  
Jack looked between the enthusiastic monks and Raimundo.  
  
"You thought about it like _that_?"  
  
Raimundo rolled his eyes. "You didnt? Dude, I'm more than just another pretty face ~~\--~~ thought you knew that."  
  
As the monks delibrated ways to commit their plan, Jack found himself getting more sold into it until Jermaine pointed out the obvious flaws with the plans.  
  
"Are you all serious right now?", he said in sheer and utter disbelief. "Committing murder is one of the biggest fucking...no-no's!"  
  
"Right", Kimiko said after a while. "We kinda forgot about that."  
  
Jermaine's expression was priceless. "You _forgot_ you just can't straight up murder someone?"  
  
"Does it count as murder if she's immortal and can keep coming back?"  
  
"Yes, Raimundo, it does."  
  
"But she's magical!"  
  
"And she doesn't have that now, does she?"  
  
Jermaine turned to Jack, clearly frustrated with his team.  
  
"We didn't kill anyone in the other dimension, right?"  
  
Jack shook his head. "No, but Kimiko came pretty close to murdering that one guy that catcalled her once in a very recent wu hunt."  
  
"That sounds like me", Kimiko agreed.  
  
Clay huffed. "No one's asking the important questions though ~~\--~~ how does an all-powerful witch just lose her magic?"  
  
"I don't know", Omi shrugged. "Maybe it happened in the other universe. Jack?"  
  
Jack leaned back a little.

"Yeah, that happened before. When Chase Young brought her back, he sorta took away her ~~\--~~ "  
  
In the wake of realization, Jack discovered he had already jumped out of place.  
  
He couldn't believe he didn't think about this before.  
  
"Im going to meditate", he announced and headed out the doorway, but not before he heard Omi asking _'what the hell is a Chase Young?'_  
  
  
  
In the meditation room, Jack was answered almost instantly.

He opened his eyes after a minute of deep breathing and saw the ghost sitting in front of him, mirroring his seating.  
  
"Impressive", Dashi said by way of greeting. "I didn't even have to send signs this time."  
  
Jack nodded. "Yeah, Wuya's back."  
  
"Eh", Dashi said. "It was kinda predictable, don't you think?"  
  
"Was it?", Jack asked, squinting. "Was it really?"  
  
Dashi held up his hands as if he had nothing to do with this.  
  
"Hey, you came into this dimension and none of the milestones happened yet."  
  
"Wuya being back is a milestone?"  
  
"Of course", Dashi said. "That was your first brush with the _real_ end of the world."  
  
"Okay, good to know", Jack said. "Disturbing, but good to know."  
  
He paused. "She doesn't have her powers though."  
  
"Yes", Dashi agreed. "She doesn't. You're welcome."  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "That was you?"  
  
"Who else would have enough power to turn the off switch on that one?"  
  
"Chase Young?"  
  
"...Yes, but he's in magical hibernation now."  
  
Dashi snapped his fingers, remembering something.  
  
"By the way, that's the first thing Wuya will try to do."  
  
Jack was disturbed. "Chase?"  
  
"Thank you for that disturbing image", Dashi said, blinking the visual off. "No, she'll never get there no matter how hard she tries ~~\--~~ she will try to wake him up to get help."  
  
Jack shrugged. "So? He never liked her that much."  
  
"True", Dashi nodded. "But by his oddly noble brand of Heylin honor, he's bound to help her."  
  
"That sounds like him."  
  
"Also he would _have_ to because, you know, he swears to help anyone who frees him from magic slumber."  
  
Jack was getting worried.

"But you said that needs some serious Heylin magic. Wuya doesn't have that; you blocked it."  
  
"Which I can't do forever", Dashi finished. "As a ghost, there is only so much I can do to help."  
  
Jack felt hopeless. "We're doomed, aren't we?"  
  
"No, no", Dashi said. "You're not doomed per say ~~\--~~ you're just more likely to face immediate annihilation than the average human."  
  
Jack put a hand on his forehead. "We _are_ doomed."  
  
He looked around him, trying to find something that will help him.  
  
"Can't you do anything?"  
  
Dashi gave him a look. "I am, so far I'm doing everything."  
  
"No need to rub it in", Jack whined. "It's not like we could have seen it coming."  
  
"Don't you wish you did though?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't you wish you _had_ seen it coming?"  
  
Jack blinked. "It sounds like you're saying if we could turn back time ~~\--~~ "  
  
"None of this would have happened", Dashi completed, nodding. "It's exactly what I'm saying."  
  
"But we don't have the Sands of Time."  
  
"But someone else does."  
  
"Ashley", Jack said, unable to say her name without a slight bitterness. "But how will we get it? With Wuya back, she'll certainly figure out some way to, like, skin us alive before we make it past the front door."  
  
Dashi scoffed. "Wuya stopped skinning people over two thousand years ago, Jack, get with the times."  
  
Jack nodded and almost began thinking about a plan when he remembered something.  
  
"Thank you", he said, attempting to bow as much as he could while sitting.  
  
Dashi nodded and did a couple of finger guns.  
  
"Don't mention it. Always love averting the end of civilization."  
  
  
  
  
Jack went back to the monks' room to discover that he had barely been gone half an hour.  
  
"Did it work this time?", Omi asked, not looking up from his action figure team.  
  
Jack nodded. "Yeah, he showed and everything. Even said goodbye this time."  
  
"Impressive", Kimiko said. "And what did you find out?"  
  
"He's holding back Wuya's powers from beyond the grave."  
  
"That's incredibly punk rock", Jermaine said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Didn't know he could do that."  
  
Jack nodded. "Neither did I."  
  
He paused and sat between Kimiko and Raimundo, the only Dragons not busy with the strategy game.  
  
"He also gave me a good idea ~~\--~~ we need to get the Sands of Time."  
  
"I heard about that wu", Jermaine said, sounding intrigued. "That's the one that can turn back time, yeah?"

"The one and only", Jack said. "But we need to find a way to get into Wuya's lair, or whatever is it that she's got, without getting violently tortured."  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "I still say we go with the original plan."  
  
Jermaine sighed but said nothing, instead getting re-immersed in the game.  
  
He frowned. "Omi, you can't do that. That's my guard."  
  
"Not anymore he isn't", Omi said, smugly. "Infiltration plan!"  
  
Looking at the youngest boy performing a sudden victory dance, Jack suddenly got an idea.  
  
"Omi, you're brilliant!"  
  
"I'm sure you're right but why?"  
  
  
  
After Jack explained the plan to the monks, he got a mix of varied reactions.  
  
Omi was proud because it was technically his plan.  
  
"Sounds like a secret elaborate plan", he'd said. 

Jermaine was impressed, Clay was sold, and even Kimiko admitted it was ingenious.  
  
As for Raimundo, he was ~~\--~~  
  
"Not doing that", he said. "Nope, never. I'm not evil."  
  
Jack sighed. "I know, we're just asking you to _pretend_."  
  
"But I don't want to", Raimundo protested, almost childishly.  
  
Jack threw his hands around. "You're the only one who's convincing enough!"  
  
"That's some very coded language, white boy."  
  
Jack sighed and looked at Raimundo, who seemed to be incessant on not going.  
  
He couldn't blame him.

He probably would have done the same if he knew that there was a timeline when he had turned to the other side.  
  
"I'm going to screw this up and you know it", Raimundo said sincerely. "Let's pick someone who won't do that."  
  
Jack looked at him. "Screwing up is part of the Xiaolin experience."  
  
"Even if I cause the end of the world as we know it?"  
  
" _Especially_ if you do that."  
  
Raimundo was nodding, taking deep breaths and taking the plan into consideration.  
  
"C'mon, Rai", Clay said. "What would Ronaldinho do?"  
  
Jack rolled his eyes at Clay's admittedly heart-warming attempt to convince Raimundo with the plan.  
  
He had thoroughly expected a half-assed sarcastic remark about using soccer players in arguments, but Raimundo just answered normally.  
  
"He would do the right thing."  
  
Jermaine prompted, "Which is?"  
  
"Helping with the goddamn infiltration."  
  
Clay and Jermaine high-fived.  
  
"That's our boy", Omi said, patting him on the shoulder.  
  
"You should know though that as far as my good looks go", Raimundo said. "I can't pull off that...whatever it is Jack's wearing ~~\--~~ what _is_ that?"  
  
Jack looked at his clothes. "This is punk with a dash of mad scientist."  
  
"You got the mad part down", Kimiko muttered.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, you're going to go to that old hag's lair and you're gonna say you want to join her. I don't think she'll be paying attention to how you're dressed."  
  
He paused and gave the designated infiltrator a look.

"You should pull up your hood though, you'll look more evil."  
  
"And where did you learn that, in the evil daycare your mom left you in?"  
  
"By God, stop mentioning my mother!"

 

* * *

 

  
  
A thousand miles away, in an eerily quiet cave, the immortal witch knelt in front of the crystal wall casing her last salvation.

 

She knelt in front of the wall, eyes closed, and began to mutter a spell that only succeeded to tap the wall rather than break it.  
  
She tried it again, but a high, ringing voice interrupted her.  
  
"And this is the lizard guy who will help you get your magic back?"  
  
Wuya opened her eyes and sighed.  
  
"Yes, Katnappe, this is Chase Young."  
  
Ashley looked faintly interested.  
  
"And how are we going to get him out of that Snow White thing he's in?"  
  
"That had been what I was trying to do until _you_ interrupted me."  
  
"Geez", Ashley said, not expecting to be called out. "Relax, Wuya."  
  
Wuya's eyes widened considerably. "How can I relax when my magic is locked by that dead Xiaolin fool?!"  
  
"You got your body back, didn't you?", Ashley said. "I mean, is your hair desperately out of style? Yes. Do you need to be saved from that dress by any nearby mall? Yeah. But at least you have your human body here!"  
  
Wuya put a hand on her hip and pursed her lips.  
  
"Such a strange method of comforting a person you're in cahoots with, but I suppose it serves its purpose."

A string of very creative bilingual curses stumbled into the room followed by a boy tripping backwards into the cave.  
  
He stopped himself before he could fall.  
  
"Who are you?", Ashley asked.  
  
The boy lifted his hood and her expression fell.  
  
"Oh", she said, scowling. "It's the circus freak."  
  
"Let's not do this", Raimundo said. "You don't want to know what kind of nicknames I came up with for you."  
  
Ashley rolled her eyes, while Wuya, who has been looking on intrigued, finally spoke.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Raimundo shrugged. "I want to join you."  
  
"Join me", Wuya repeated. "You just show up at my doorstep and expect to be let in?"  
  
Raimundo didn't know what to say. "Uh, yes?"  
  
Wuya gave a shrug of her own, her very first in this body.  
  
"Very well", she said. "Kneel."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Kneel."  
  
"Yeah", Raimundo said. "I won't be doing that."  
  
Wuya's smile widened from ear to ear.  
  
_Finally_ there was a prospective youth she could consider for her apprentice.  
  
Magical with a lot of potential and pride. Perfect.  
  
"Welcome to the winning side, Wind Dragon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got longer than I expected 
> 
> (Don't worry if it seems..odd; there's a detailed game plan)


End file.
